Preparation
by Pun-3X
Summary: Something huge is about to happen in Jump City. The Titans dig deep to discover the answers to recent mysteries, but it seems to be Raven who might know more about what may be happening, who is involved and whether they can be trusted. STORY COMPLETE!
1. Late Night Meeting

**Prologue**

_It's happening the same way. Everything's _**exactly**_ the same._

Raven cursed to herself. Her opponent was simply too fast with his defenses, and Raven hadn't been able to capitalize on any opportunity in time. She had to change tactics. She was keeping mostly on offense while her opponent maintained a practiced guard. As well, she was being kept in a constant motion from his counterattacks. He was going to wear her out. Again.

She turned her hands clockwise, causing the stream in front of her to twist. The black energy spiraled against the solid blue energy of the barrier until it began to distort. Raven began walking forward, continuing the attack. The man's barrier slowly spiraled along with the black energy attacking it. The whole thing started to buckle from the assault. The guard finally broke, and Raven went sailing through it straight for her opponent. With her fist surrounded in black magic she took a swing at him. He staggered back with a grunt

The man leapt back and into the air, putting up a small field to hold Raven's last punches at bay. She charged up after him, smashing at his new guard with shadow-surrounded fists. A follow-up kick disintegrated the left side of the barrier, causing the rest of it to go down. As Raven jammed her magic-enclosed fists towards the man's gut, he grabbed at Raven's upper arms and prevented the punches from hitting home. It was the wrong defensive move, and the man knew it the moment he grabbed her arms.

The kinetic energy around her fists discharged into the man at point-blank. She watched as her opponent flew back before hitting the ground hard a good distance away. She relaxed her hand, letting the magic dissolve away. That was the moment a sphere of blue energy flew from the crumpled form and slammed into Raven's face. The impact took away her hearing, her vision, her sense of direction…everything except the sensation of pain. Her face stung, burned was more accurate.

She felt a sudden jolt and stinging sensation from the whole of her left side, and Raven could only assume she'd hit the ground. The wind knocked out of her lungs, and she struggled to take a breath. She rolled painfully onto her back, and her sense of direction was so off it seemed to feel as if she was rolling down hill. The world in her mind spun back the other direction, making orientation even worse. Raven hadn't been able to take a breath since she hit the ground and thought she felt herself going unconscious…

**I **

**Late Night Meeting**

(Three days earlier)

The halls of the tower were quiet at this time of night. Normally, Raven preferred it to the constant barrage of ambiance produced by her fellow teammates. This evening, as Raven walked those halls, she found it irritating. Not that getting irritated was a rarity for the girl, but it usually took more than most people to really get the emotion rolling. A lot more. Somehow, certain teammates found ways to heighten her annoyance regardless of her concentration. Even then, she knew how to bottle up the feeling relatively quickly.

Regardless, it had been a while since she felt annoyed this long. It was the teasing kind, as well. Just on the surface of messing with her powers without causing them to do anything on their own. There was no immediate worry on that note either. Even if it did cause a slip-up, the effects would have been minor. She needed to go out. Again. Try to get some actual answers this time.

_I haven't gotten any real answers so far. Why is this time suddenly going to be so different?_

She rolled her eyes slightly and shook her head to herself. It was pointless. The last two times simply succeeded in frustrating her further. Simple enhancement spells with her meditations and on-the-spot calming techniques usually cleared it up. The problem was she normally didn't need to bother putting so much concentration on it. Tonight she wanted to see where the sensation would go. She wanted to know how long it would last--whether it would die away on its own.

At least it wasn't getting worse. She toyed with the idea to simply stop and calm herself as needed. _Not yet. A little longer. Just before I head out._

Raven passed by a yawning Starfire on her way down the hall. Her green eyes turned towards Raven, and Starfire smiled in the other's direction.

"Good evening, Raven," she began. "You are still up at this late hour?"

Raven simply nodded slightly as she stopped by her teammate's side. "I could ask you the same thing. Heading off to sleep?"

"Mmhmm!" Starfire answered, giving Raven a closed-eyed smile. "It is past the normal time that I tend to retire, I know."

"It happens," Raven responded. She began back down the hall. "Good night."

Starfire didn't respond right away. Not until Raven was about to turn the corner. "You are heading out again, tonight?"

Raven stopped. She knew how odd it looked. The girl who preferred reading on the couch or staying locked up in her room, taking a stroll out in the night. Three nights in a row. Though, the _going alone_ part still seemed to fit. "I just need some outside space," she told her friend, putting a slight smile into her expression. "I've been feeling a little…I don't know. Smothered, I suppose." Raven put a little more into her smile, trying to reassure the alien girl. "It's better than my usual routine."

Starfire simply hummed an agreement. Letting her head drop a little in thought. "Is there…"

Raven let her friend search for what words she wanted to use, but the girl never found them. Starfire simply answered Raven's previous smile in kind. "Be safe."

Raven nodded. "Always do." Then she turned the corner. As she continued walking, she realized that part of the sensation of annoyance had dissolved. Starfire had a knack for cheering people up even when it wasn't her intention. Still, underneath it all, Raven could feel the irritation pushing its way back to its previous stage.

_All right, I get the point. Time to settle down._

Raven closed her eyes a moment, began muttering a calming spell. Within a short time, she was running the spells within her own mind, her lips simply moving with the thought. A handful of seconds later, the emotion was gone. Contained. Raven decided it was time to head out. She began to concentrate her powers and her mind on where she wanted to be. Raven tried to hold off thinking about the fact that such a simple breach of emotion should normally have been suppressed with all of two thoughts instead of a full-cast spell, lest the idea irritate her all over again. Her form took to the shadows in the hall, and the raven within spilled out of her, overtaking her. Then, all mass seeped into those same shadows and was gone.

-

* * *

- 

Raven appeared over the center of a mass of concrete slab raised off the ground level. She didn't immediately check her surroundings. She instead began sensing the area. _Oh yeah. Much stronger feeling here than where I'd just been. This is the spot._

Raven raised her head and looked around. Then, she put two fingers around her nose and lowered her head. "Could…someone explain to me why you people enjoy these clichés? If it's not an old, abandoned building, it's a freshly-started construction site after-hours."

"I figured you would prefer it to something with a lot of street-lamps," someone answered.

Raven quickly half-turned her body towards the voice's direction. She turned her head the rest of the way, letting the hood hide most of her face. "That's the fastest you've made yourself appear."

The man stood ahead and above Raven on a section of concrete framework. His face was silhouetted by dark shadow. Darker than even the surrounding shadows cast about around the site. His face, Raven eventually concluded, must have maintained a shadow-layer of some kind. _A masking spell, no doubt._

The man gestured to nothing in particular. "You've been gauged enough the past two nights. I just guessed you wouldn't fire first this time."

"What's to say I still won't fire the first shot?"

He began slowly walking along the framework as he answered. "Because we both know how that all ends up. We've done it twice, now. Did you really want to do that all a third time? Now, mind you, I'm up for it if you are."

Raven kept her stance. _Great, stern pose hidden under my cloak and hood. I'm sure showing him now._

"We'll see if it's needed," she answered him.

"It won't be. But, who knows? Might happen anyway for the hell of it." He stopped walking. "Hey, at least I can count on you showing up alone."

"You assumed I'd come alone this time? It isn't as if I trust you."

Through the shadow over his face--a shadow that still allowed some reactions to show through--Raven could see him smile. Barely. "Still haven't told anyone about me, I see."

Raven scoffed at herself internally. _Bluff called. Nice effort, though._

"It's quite all right," he continued. "I'm glad you think you can deal with this whole situation on your own. That's part of what I'm looking for."

_Here we go. We're finally getting somewhere._ "Um…okay, I give up. What exactly are you looking for?"

He didn't answer. He did keep his smile going, Raven could see that much. The shadow over his face was not a deep, impenetrable black. She could make out his eyes, his nose, mouth. The features surrounding and adding to those portions of his face blended into a deep darkness Raven couldn't read into. _This guy could walk right past me in a regular crowd, and I wouldn't even recognize his face._

She continued. "Okay, if you're going to keep playing these games with me, then I'm wasting my time here."

"Hey, now," he began again, "it's not like I asked you to come here."

"You wanted me to come, just the same," Raven retorted.

"I have my desires, you have yours, blah-blah-blah." He walked back to where he'd started off. "The end result is the same. You chose to come here on your own. It just happens to work well with what I had hoped for."

_This isn't working. I really am wasting my time here…_

"You know," she started, "I can't just let you wander around the city with your abilities. I don't even know what you really want. At some point, I'm going to have to let the team know. We might have to fight and capture you."

"I doubt you'll take it to that point," he said. "You still have all those questions you act like you don't really want to ask. It'll be that much harder to ask when I'm under heavy supervision in some cell-hold. Plus…" The man hopped off the framework, floating down to the level below him. He was directly across from Raven. "What makes you think I'll want to come out and play as often as I have been after that? And up until now you've been rather fortunate sneaking out on your own. If the rest of the team knew about us, I'd think they wouldn't be as willing to let you head out alone. Always lurking in the shadows behind you. For concerns over your personal safety, I'm sure. But, that makes our little private sessions harder to maintain. Then you really won't find the answers you're looking for."

"I could just take the time to track you myself," Raven said, "without the team. They'd understand. You really shouldn't be so hard to find."

Again, under the shadow was that smile. Suddenly, Raven felt like a bright light was turned out on part of her senses. That aura she'd been sensing--tracking to this point—was gone. Just…turned off. She kept her glare on the man, searching for that slight buzz in her external senses. As she was about to let it be, the sense came screaming back.

_That's not his aura. He's projecting that on purpose. A lure._ Raven shook her head. _So, tracking is out…_

"You aren't unstoppable," Raven finally stated.

Zerrich smirked. "I don't pretend to be."

"You didn't exactly walk away clean the last time. It's not like I've come at you with everything yet."

"I recall you having to limp back into your shadows yourself," he answered. "And yes, I'd rather gotten that sense from you. It's as if there's something in you that you're afraid to tap. Now, trying to figure that out--"

"It's not your business," she retorted, feeling a flash of anger and quickly settling it back down.

"Hmm," he put his head down slightly. "Then you can't, in all honesty, expect me to answer anything you might ask."

That right there was the worst kind of compromise. Raven despised revealing her secrets. And to get answers from him, she was expected to start opening up to this guy.

_I barely started opening up to my friends…_

Her intellect kicked in. "Okay, aren't _you_ the visiting team here? I think it should work the other way around. You answer first, and we'll see what I respond with."

Now, the man chuckled, amused. "All right then. Sounds fair. Can't guarantee an answer, though."

"Sooo…what's the point in asking anything?"

"Well, I'll tell you what. You keep asking questions until I answer one. That'll be your question. Then it's my turn."

Raven sighed. This was as good as she was going to get. For now.

"What do you want?"

"That's a pretty broad question. Could you break that down a bit?"

_Oh, for spite's sake..._

"FINE. What do you want with me, exactly? Why have we been…_'sparring'_ all this time?"

"I'm trying to figure you out. Now, I had prefered to do it in question-and-answer form since the beginning, but I had a feeling that kind of reveal-all would get pretty one-sided."

"I don't see the importance with figuring me out. I'm nothing special."

The man put a finger in the air. "See, that's just not true. I mean, how many other black mages exist on this planet, anyway? You don't give yourself enough credit."

"All right. What makes me so important to you?"

"It has to do with your importance to the future. A possible future, anyway."

Raven raised an eyebrow under her hood. "That's…vague."

The man shrugged. "My turn. You were holding back before. Why?"

"Let's just say I have a bit of a…temper."

"Yes, we saw that the other night. You aren't revealing anything new."

"That temper nearly creamed you, if I remember correctly," she answered. Which wasn't entirely true. She actually didn't recall much more than a fog at that point…

"It kept me off my offense. Which would have been great if the rest of your team were here to take advantage of it."

Raven didn't change her expression in the least. "I don't need them here for this." 

"As it stood then," he continued, "you succeeded in breaking down my defenses, yes. Then you wore yourself out so much you couldn't follow through. Or wouldn't."

"And you didn't counterstrike afterwards...why?" Raven countered. "You were just as tired as I was."

"To my original point, there's more you're holding back, besides that temper. What is it you're afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," she said, coolly. "I'm just aware."

"Of what?"

Now, Raven smiled, if only for effect. "That's a different question."

"It's still related. Besides, I answered your follow-up question."

Raven's expression went neutral. "Doesn't change the end result. You chose to answer that question, and it happened to work well with what I had hoped for."

The man shook his head, smiling. "You know, there's this Earth term I learned recently. Touché, I think. Is that the right response in this instance?"

Raven had to stifle a chuckle. It did end up translating into a slight smirk instead. "Gods, you're cocky."

"I try to think of it as 'self-confident,'" he recovered, casually.

"Uh-huh." Raven narrowed her eyes. "Where do your powers come from?"

The man didn't answer. He kept his face kept neutral.

Raven modified the question. "Where'd you learn magic?"

The man sighed. "I'd be lying if I told you self-taught. Self-improved, maybe. If you stretch the imagination a little." He watched as Raven began to slowly pace. At least, his head turned to face her as she moved. "It wasn't any one place or person, either. All though…" He cut himself short.

"Though, what?" This was interesting. _Possibly some deeper information..._

He shook his head. "No. That's too much for now."

"How am I supposed to trust you if I can't learn anything about you?"

"You already said you couldn't trust me before. I just assumed you meant that as a constant."

It sounded like that was as far as things were going to go. Raven took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. _Just take this step. You're going to have to if you want to learn anything._

"My…powers. Well, you know that solid concentration enhances our abilities. For me, it's a bit more difficult than it might be for someone else..."

"I know of your burden."

Her eyes widened under her hood. _Burden!_ "Excuse me?"

"I…know about your powers' origins. Where your 'temper' most likely comes from." He looked right at her, and she knew what he knew. "That it, your emotions, can tamper with your powers. That you have to concentrate more than most other mages to keep it all at bay. That wasn't what I was asking about before. There was something else you were holding off."

Raven didn't say anything for a while—just watched him. She didn't need to think hard about where this was going. She didn't like it at all. "That's personal."

"All inner-demons are personal," he responded. "They're called inner-demons for a reason."

"Why do you hide your face?" she asked him.

Through the shadows, she caught a look on his face. It was that same _stop asking stupid questions_ look she would give people sometimes. Raven closed her eyes, reached up and pulled her hood back. She looked back at him, her cards on the table. "I don't need to hide my face. How about you?"

The man stepped forward slightly. His eyes closed a moment, and the shadow dissolved. He was young! Still older than her, but not the older man she'd assumed him to be. Possibly still a man just coming out of his teen years.

But her shock came from something else. The features were all there--all of them, telling. The structure of his face, the texture of his black hair, even his eyes now out of the shadow. And, at least to Raven, his forehead told all. He may have passed for human to a stranger, but she knew what she was looking at. She bit back her emotions, pulled back on their reigns and brought her senses back to their place. Her common sense took hold.

"No," Raven shook her head. "No, you can't possibly be from Azarath." She turned away partially. "The way you speak, the way you act…"

His eyebrows lifted as he answered. "Oh, and you're just the shining example of the Temple teachings. You'd be hard pressed to find a group that instructs on sarcasm better than back home."

"That's not the same. I'm not even…" Raven stopped a moment, rephrasing her words. "I'm half-Human."

"And half-something else," he finished. "Persona is more than just genetics. It's about experience as well."

The young Titan let the impression settle in her mind for a moment. She had known she was a bit of a rogue in the world of Azarath's pacifistic teachings. She wasn't like them. But, it was different for her. She had her reasons. She left for those reasons. What were his? She asked him.

"I left for the same reasons you did."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "That is NOT true."

"Okay, not exactly the same reasons. But I left mainly because I didn't believe in the nature of pacifism. Sometimes, there's a need to fight. You don't go looking for it, but you have to be ready when it comes. Don't you agree?"

_Can't argue with that. So, fine, maybe our reasoning is the same_. "I still get the feeling there's more to it than that." 

"Maybe. Remind me to tell you sometime."

The young girl pursed her lips. "Somehow, I doubt the question will slip my mind." With that remark, she seemed to surrender to the fact that this meeting was ending. Whether she wanted it to or not.

"I think I've said enough," he finally stated. "I'd like to know more about you, but I'm betting you aren't going to be as open as I've been."

"You already seem to know more about me than I do about you. Considering…I don't really know anything about you. Can't really call that a fair start."

"Well, since you now know where I'm from, how I know your past isn't such a shock," the man from Azarath stated. "I guess we'll adjust the rest of the difference later. I think I'll be going." A small blue-black rip in the nearby concrete support slab formed, stretching to accommodate the young man as he turned for it.

"Wait!" She shouted. Her excitement only got the better of her for a moment. "I still don't know your name," she said, adding a touch of impatience to the sound. For effect.

"Oh, yeah. That. Forgot to bring it up." He looked towards the portal for a moment. "Let's say…Zerrich." He smiled over his shoulder. "For now, I suppose." He took a step into the shadows in front of him and disappeared. Leaving Raven alone with her thoughts.

_At least we didn't try to kill each other this time…_


	2. Trust

**II**

**Trust**

The eleventh hour had crept up on Raven as she finished her morning meditation. She made her way down the hall, an old book in tow. Everyone else was already up and in the recreation area. Robin was at the sink on dish duty for the morning. Cyborg was sitting at one of kitchen tables, leaning back with his hands behind his head. Raven went to the fridge and pulled out an apple for breakfast. _Brunch, really._ She made her way to the sofa next to where Starfire sat, when she noticed the low engine rumble coming from her lap. There, a small, green kitten lay on its back, front paws stretched up. Starfire was humming some song as she scratched and petted the kitten's fur. The purr got louder.

"That is quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen," Raven deadpanned. She began walking to the other side of the rec room. "I think I've lost my appetite," she finished, dryly.

Beast Boy morphed back to normal, causing Starfire's expression to bloat. "Ha-ha! Very funny, Raven. Real classi-augh!"

Starfire gave out a quick shriek and stood up. Raven heard, more than saw, Beast Boy land with a 'cloomph' on the floor in front of the sofa. "Beast Boy," Starfire began, "might I ask that you next time give fair warning before you do that."

Beast Boy stood up, slowly. He rubbed the back of his head and gave an overcompensating smile. "Erm…my fault. I usually jump out of people's laps before I…um...Sorry…"

Raven was glad her back was turned as she made her way to one of the tables on the other side. She afforded herself a smile. She reeled the emotion back in quickly as she turned and sat down, opening her book. She'd read it before, but this one was appealing to her. It was of a young mage finding his father in a mystical realm and the wisdom and experience he gained along his journey. The book was dark enough at certain points, but with a pleasant enough ending. She enjoyed the book mostly for the plot twists throughout.

"Stay up late, last night?" Robin inquired.

Raven looked up with just her eyes. She could sense Starfire's peaked interest in the question. She could see it on her face as well. "Yes," she finally answered.

"Weren't you up pretty late the night before?"

"Yes," Raven answered, keeping her head in her book. _I can see this turning into twenty questions…_

Robin put the last dish he'd been cleaning away. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the other night, would it? When you decided to walk back without us?"

Again, Raven looked up from her book, directly at Robin. "No." She went back to reading. _I was really hoping he wouldn't ask about that. Should know better by now._ Robin wasn't trying to interrogate her. Raven knew he was simply curious about the combined events. It was his nature to try to put the pieces together.

"Um…Robin?" Starfire chimed in. It took a bit of effort on Raven's part to keep from looking up. She didn't want to indicate an interest as Starfire started talking. However, she had ceased reading her book. _Only read the same line three times now and still haven't made sense of it._

Starfire continued. "Perhaps we could spend the afternoon practicing our new double-team flight maneuvers. We did not get to use them effectively the last time. I…feel like we could try to…improve our approach."

Robin looked at Starfire. "I'm not too sure we can get it any better." He walked out of the kitchen area and near the hallway entrance. "But, if you really want to get the practice in, I don't see why not."

Starfire nodded with a smile and made her way up the steps next to Robin. Both proceeded down the hall and made their way to one of the larger training rooms in the tower. Raven, still trying to read her book, found the situation interesting. Starfire very blatantly changed the topic of conversation. It wasn't as if she didn't appreciate the save, but it brought up a point. Now, there were two of them that knew more than she wanted.

It didn't really matter. She wasn't about to divulge anything she didn't want to either of them, and as much as the multiple questions annoyed her, she could keep it up as long as she needed. At the very least, she could let her 'irritation' out a bit more. People usually backed off after that.

"So…what do you think?" Beast Boy said, interrupting her thoughts.

Raven half-grimaced. _That boy better not be talking to me._

"Raven?" Beast Boy said again. "Hey, Raven, I'm talking to you!"

Raven kept her head down in her book. Her eyes, however glared up from under her brow. "What?" she quietly spat out.

"Come on!" Beast Boy started. "Put the book down and get in on the conversation! I was saying, Starfire and Robin, like, heading to the training room. Aloooooone? Do you honestly think they're just gonna train in there?"

_For Azar's sake, not this again._ "What are you getting at, Beast Boy?"

"Um, hello! It's, like, totally obvious! I mean, come on! You been buried in those books the last couple of years? Don't tell me you haven't been noticing, I won't believe you. Didn't _you_ even point it out once?"

Raven lifted her head a little more. "All of us notice. All except for them. They can't even admit it to themselves. How do you think they'll admit it to each other?" She went back to her book. "Trust me. All they're doing in there is training. Try not to let your imagination run off with your brain."

Cyborg began a low laugh. "She's right. Those two are in such denial, even to themselves. It _is_ kinda funny."

"Hey, maybe we could…you know. Help them along? Sorta set 'em down the right path and all?"

Raven looked back up at Beast Boy. _I am never reading this book…_

"No, really! We could set up a date! Invite them both to a nice, quiet evening without the rest of us home! We could write notes addressed from the other, and by the time they realize they've been had, they're already in a romantic setting. Dimmed lights, soft music, candle-lit dinner. It's pure genius!"

"Naw," Cyborg interjected, "that's about as cliché as it gets. They ain't dumb enough to fall for it."

"What about you? Huh, Raven?" The Titan put his hands to his hips in pride, looking at Raven for approval, his 'sell-it' smile wider than his face would allow.

Raven simply stared back. She continued her stare until he fidgeted just slightly. "Let them be, Beast Boy."

"Ugh!" Beast Boy scowled, dropping the act. "You people are no fun."

Cyborg simply laughed a little louder. Raven looked up at him with a partial smirk. _Who's not having fun?_ Cyborg simply winked back with his human eye.

-

* * *

-

The side of the stair shed opposite the setting sun began to grow darker than the shade normally allowed. Quickly, it opened up into a large spiral of black. Raven stepped onto the rooftop of a building she only recognized as being near the coastline. She walked around to the sunny side of the shed, walked to the end of the rooftop facing the ocean. Zerrich was standing there already, hands clasped behind his back.

"You're late," he said.

"You going to fire me?" Raven quipped.

Zerrich didn't answer. He continued to look out over the ocean. "I like your sunsets. They're a little different." He gestured out towards the ocean, hand down with his fingers out. "I think it's all the blue. In the sky and the water. Plus there's no heavy cloud pattern or rain to get in the way of the coloring. That's sort of what I'm used to. That or orange and red all across the sky because of the atmosphere. You can't really tell sunset from midday…except for the fact that it's getting darker."

"You called me here to watch the sunset," Raven stated more than asked.

"Actually, yes. That's exactly why I called you here."

She let the sentence hang there, an annoyed expression on her face. Not that he was looking in her direction anyway. "I'm leaving," she finally muttered, walking back to the shadows.

"You're not going to want to miss this," he said over his shoulder.

"I think I'll be able to sleep tonight," Raven countered.

"At least facing that direction, you won't miss it."

Raven stopped, closing her eyes. _I hate him…_

"What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Give it about…" Zerrich's voice started getting closer, though she couldn't hear his footfalls, "…twenty seconds or so. Thinking about it, being late worked out. I know how impatient you get."

_That'll happen when you keep answering in riddles._ Raven couldn't help but reflect. She usually didn't give straight answers to questions asked about her business either. However, this was very different. Zerrich wanted her to know these things. That, and she usually left _all_ the details out when answering a question she wasn't particularly fond of. A few more moments passed, and nothing spectacular jumped out at Raven from anywhere. She actually expected this. Whatever Zerrich was harping about, it would fit to be subtle.

"There." Zerrich pointed over Raven's shoulder towards the green mountainside at the far-off edge of this part of the city. She scanned it and found nothing of interest. At first. As time went on, a slight glimmer--more of a wavering--started to affect a portion of the mountain. It almost looked like the heat waves off a hot road. Except, the effect was too collected. And there was no road.

"Thought you might be interested," he said from behind her.

"What's up there?"

"Couldn't say," Zerrich answered. "But they really want to stay hidden. That field seems to be affected only when the sun's about…well, right there. Otherwise, they're pretty much out of sight."

Raven turned around and looked at Zerrich. With the sunset silhouetted behind him, she noticed something. The spikes of his hair took on a purple glow as the light passed through them. She'd originally thought his hair to be black. In fact, it was a deep purple. The color never showed itself, as they had always met at night. "So, why didn't you check it out on your own?"

"You kids are the heroes," he shrugged. "Besides, I'm not officially here at the moment. Rather not bring attention to myself if I can help it."

"Right," she said, dryly. "I'm just trying to figure out why you're showing me this."

"I see," Zerrich replied. "Guys just can't be nice, I suppose."

"I still don't know what your motives are," Raven said. "You have to admit. It's an odd coincidence. Of all the people to find this out…" _This could be some trap…_

"You could let it sit," he answered. "Check them out, see what they do. Act on it later. Of course, if they're planning something and get it going before you make your move…"

"Then things get messy," Raven finished.

"That might end up forcing me to get involved. I'd prefer not to have that happen."

"Uh-huh," Raven sighed. "You want us to take care of this, so that you can stay hidden. That's all this is about?"

Zerrich looked straight at Raven. "You keep treating me like I have some ulterior motive," he chided.

Raven didn't flinch. "You can stop feigning innocence any time."

Zerrich leaned over to the side of Raven's hood. "No one's innocent," he said in a lower voice. When he pulled away to turn around, he was smiling. "That was all I had to show you. Feel free to leave when you're ready." He walked back to the end of the roof facing the sunset.

"Gee," Raven deadpanned, "thanks for the permission slip." With that, Raven wasted no time heading back to the shaded side of the stair shed.

-

* * *

- 

There was the collective noise of the team coming out of the rec room as Raven walked through the corridor. Considering the time of day, Raven figured it was over what to eat or where to go out for dinner. She almost took a cynical pleasure in bringing the news. Maybe it was part of her nature. Or, it was simply the idea that once she interrupted them the squabbling would stop.

"Raven!" Cyborg shouted over everyone as she entered the rec room. "Just the girl I wanted to see. Kay, B here wants to go out for Pizza. For, like, the second night in a row. Star's up for Chinese and Ice cream." Cyborg paused for effect. "Don't ask. Now, I'm up for some burgers. Rob's got my back on that one. So, the way I see it that's two against one against one! Y'think you could explain the whole 'majority rules' thing to these two?"

"Well, how about we ask what _Raven_ wants to eat?" Beast Boy countered.

Raven looked at the group. "We'll have to cancel. There's a possible…situation over at Knight's Hill."

Cyborg's expression went dead. His stomach growled in protest. "Oh, you had to go an' say that, didn't you?"

"I'd like to scan the area if we can," Raven continued, without breaking her poise. "There's something there we can't see. And it's likely been there a while."

"Well, we can do a quick look if you want." Cyborg said. "If there's anything to find, my network of scanners should see it."

Cyborg beeped internally as he linked up with the Tower's operating system. It took him all of eight minutes to send a flight probe out far enough, set up a scan and have the analysis completed. He shook his head. "Dunno what to tell you Raven. Nothing came up that I could see. You sure about this?"

Raven nodded. "Positive. There's something on that hill. I saw a wavering effect on the west side."

"When did you see this…wavering effect?" Robin asked.

"This evening," Raven answered. Robin seemed to press for more with his look. She thought quickly. "I thought I sensed something. I decided to track it as far as I could. When I was about to give it up, I looked to the hill. And…I saw it."

It wasn't a complete lie. She followed the aura sensation she knew to be Zerrich and tracked him there. And there was the moment she was about to turn and leave before she finally saw what Zerrich was talking about.

Robin looked at her for a moment. "Then let's check it out."

"Yeah, but," Beast Boy started to complain, "what about, like, food? I'm starving!"

"You can pick something up on the way," Raven answered, heading for the garage with Starfire and Robin.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy cheered, following behind.

"Man, you did not just tell Beast Boy he could eat in my car!" Cyborg bellowed, taking up the rear. "Raven, how could you? You helped me rebuild her an' everything…"

-

* * *

- 

"See? I'm sorry, Raven. There's nothing here."

Cyborg gestured to the side of the hill furthest from the road. He had performed a manual scan over the entire face, and he found nothing. Raven wasn't convinced. She was hovering up and down the hillside for some clue of whatever it was she has seen. Cyborg wished he could help her out, but there just wasn't anything to find. If there really were a hologram or invisibility field anywhere, he would be able to detect it. Fields of these types either bent light instead of absorbing it the way everything else did, or simply projected against it. In either case, it was a simple matter of disrupting the field. In the end, it was all energy.

Robin was facing away from the hill, overlooking the cityscape leading out towards the ocean. "You said you saw it in the evening," Robin began. "Had the sun already set by then?"

"No," Raven answered, settling to the ground. "It was the sunset that caused the wavering. As if…the light hit it at the right angle or something."

Cyborg shook his head. "Sorry, y'all. Already did a UV scan, too. Didn't see anything from that either."

Robin stroked his chin. "Unless…" He turned around and look towards the hill.

"Robin," Starfire began, "please share with us your findings."

"The haze in the atmosphere," Robin said.

Cyborg nodded. "Right. The smog from the city. The sunlight must've gotten filtered through the haze on the horizon. If I filter the UV light the same way…"

"Not just that," Robin interrupted. "At sunset, the sunlight ends up cutting through a thicker part of the atmosphere because it's almost level with it. The light gets filtered in two ways."

Cyborg smiled. "I can make for those adjustments." Cyborg's shoulder lamp flicked open again. He scanned the hillside with his filtered UV beam. Further up the hill, sure enough, the grass began to shimmer. "Guys, I think we found something."

-

* * *

- 

Raven had a hard time understanding how a cavern could have been burrowed out of Knight's Hill without anyone knowing about it. There would have been seismic readings, or suspicious movement of dump trucks and other work vehicles to this area...something. Raven couldn't recall any reports on increased work activity out here in the recent months. Had this thing been here all this time?

As they walked, Raven turned her head slightly towards Starfire. "So, tell me. Chinese with ice cream. What exactly was that all about?"

"It was NOT Chinese with ice cream," Starfire stated matter-of-factly in a hushed tone. She looked over at Cyborg. "I simply voiced my desires for a meal at the new Chinese restaurant on Marylin Way. Across from the ice cream parlor."

"Which got Star into thinking about going out for ice cream BEFORE Chinese," Cyborg finished.

Raven looked forward again. "Don't know about the ice cream. But Chinese wouldn't have been a bad idea."

"Ahah!" Starfire cheered quietly, holding a finger in the air. "This now makes it, two-against-one-against-two!"

"Yeah, guess it does," Cyborg smirked. "Not that it matters. Right now, plain ol' food sounds good. I'd be up for about anything."

"Could you guys stop talking about food?" Beast Boy complained. "I mean, come on! Raven said we were gonna stop for something on the way! Did we?"

Raven stared straight ahead as they walked. "I wasn't the one driving."

"Hell yeah, she wasn't," Cyborg almost cheered. "And so long as we're takin' the T-Car, you can forget about--"

"Guys!" Robin hushed the team. "We're coming up on something. Keep it down, and be ready for anything."

The far end of the tunnel began emanating its own light. Raven noted after they'd gone farther down that Cyborg had already turned off his shoulder lamp. The tunnel light became an exit, and the light further past the exit revealed a visible ledge. The ledge was fabricated, complete with its own guardrail. _Yup. This has been here a while._

Robin crouched just before the ledge in front of the team. Everyone else held back until he gave the signal. Raven could hear the sound of machinery clanging in a quick beat. The sound indicated multiple machines working in unison. Was this a factory? Perhaps the generator room for whatever else was down here? It almost sounded familiar…

Robin hadn't moved. He was still looking over the ledge at whatever was down below. Raven realized Robin wasn't waiting. He froze up. "Beast Boy," Raven whispered, looking at him and nodding once. Beast Boy nodded back and morphed into a small mouse. He skittered across the last part of the cavern onto the same ledge next to Robin. Suddenly, the mouse morphed back to Beast Boy, who was now looking over the ledge the same as Robin. Beast Boy muttered something, but Raven could only hear a muffled voice through the mechanical noise from below. Beast Boy shook his head, looked over his shoulder at the team, then motioned them all forward. Starfire and Cyborg started first, with Raven in the rear. As each member reacted once they got to the guardrail, Raven couldn't help but fear what she'd see. She stifled the emotion quickly as she peered over Robin's shoulder to the next level below.

"Oh no," Raven gasped, not being able to help herself either.

The drones below were marching through an elongated hangar. The ceiling was about fifty feet higher than where the team stood outside the cavern they'd just traveled. Why Raven hadn't recognized the sound of the drones' synchronized footfalls immediately, she couldn't understand until she looked them over individually. They had been heavily modified. No longer did they slouch as they marched below. Their long, claw-like fingers were replaced with more humanoid digits. Attached to both of their wrists were two elongated claw-blades. Their feet brandished short spikes and a heavier-looking boot to them—possibly the reason the sound was just different enough as their boots clanged against the metallic ground. Their chest and back armor looked thicker as well. Only one thing had not been altered--the masks of part-black, part-orange.

"They're upgrades," Cyborg whispered.

"There are so many!" Starfire said.

Raven nodded slightly. "And where there are so many drones..."

"Slade!" Robin spit out, finally breaking his own silence…


	3. Infiltration

**III**

**Infiltration**

The tunnels weren't as endless as they'd first seemed. While there were many wide corridors, there was only one hangar. Everything under the mountain lead straight to it, or at least, everything else branched off from it. Most of the corridors lead to training areas or recharge alcoves. Others lead to maintenance bays. One lead to a heavily locked-down room or area even Raven's mind couldn't penetrate.

And so, here was Beast Boy, making his way through the cracks and crevices to get there. His small mouse form found every hole and burrowed-out pipe paths in the rock that followed the layout Raven was leaving in Beast Boy's head. It boggled his mind how she was doing it—putting the thoughts in his head of where to go without using so many words. He didn't take long finding the last ventilation opening that would lead him through to the other side of that locked-down area. A simple matter of becoming a fly, entering the vent shaft, and morphing back into a mouse, and Beast Boy was on his way.

"_Good,_" Raven thought to Beast Boy. "_Follow this to the next vent and find a way to the doorlock controls. We're almost done._"

"_Great,_" Beast Boy answered in his head. "_The sooner we find a way in, the sooner you get outta my mind. Nothing personal, but I'm not too comfortable with you floating around in my head._"

"**I'm**_ not too comfortable floating around in your head_." Raven echoed in Beast Boy's mind. "_You have so many stray thoughts running around, I can't ignore them. How can you concentrate with this mental mess?_"

"_Lots of practice,_" Beast Boy thought back.

"_Practice would _prevent_ this disaster. I'm starting to know things about you I'm really wishing I didn't._"

"_Yeah, about that_," Beast Boy started, "_let's, uh, keep that thought about Cyborg's missing jumboshock controller just between us?_"

There was a pause. Beast Boy could almost imagine Raven sighing back with the rest of the group while levitating in place. "_You aren't far off with that thought, Beast Boy_."

Beast Boy shuttered. "_Dude, you gotta stop that._"

-

* * *

- 

"Okay, Beast Boy is on his way," Raven said, keeping her eyes closed. It was enough of a distraction that she started to feel herself mentally drawing back into her own body. She didn't fight it much as Beast Boy was already on his way. Anything on the other side of the big door would be new to either of them anyway. Raven finally settled to the ground and opened her eyes. "Everyone else in position?"

Starfire nodded an affirmative. Cyborg and Robin were to make their way around to the other side of the hangar and grab attention from the drones through some of the corridors when the time was right. It was Raven and Starfire's job to fly to the main room once Beast Boy had the doors open. Raven would concentrate on defensive fields while Starfire played offense from above her. Fighting through all of these drones, even with some distracted, wasn't going to work. They just needed to fend off enough of them to make it through.

Suddenly, an alarm filled the underground base. Red lights flashed everywhere, and the drones stopped in place. Beast Boy must have gotten to the controls. Or he'd been caught.

That's when the corridors started sealing off all at the same time down the long hangar stretch. Raven looked out past the guardrail and confirmed that the hangar was sealed from every point except a few open caverns.

"I do not believe this was supposed to happen," Starfire voiced from behind Raven.

Raven turned around. "Wait a minute. The boys…"

"Are in position to distract the drones…inside the corridors," Starfire confirmed, worriedly. "Our friends are trapped!"

The entire section of drones, as if on instruction, turned their heads up towards the top of the stairway attached to the cavern Raven and Starfire were huddled in. "Uh-oh. Not good." Raven was quick to put up a defensive field to block the incoming laserblasts from now-visible laser points on each of the drones' shoulders. "Fly with me, we're moving!"

Starfire lifted off the ground behind Raven. "What about..."

"First priority is to get to that room," Raven stated. "Keep them off us. We're heading for our target."

Stafire's eyes and hands began glowing. The Tamaranian girl blasted what drones she could as she peeked over the sides of Raven's defensive field. As the girls made their way down towards one of the corridors, Starfire began gathering as much energy as she could. When they were close enough, she blasted open the security door. Shrapnel rained inward at the group of drones on the other side, and the girls flew in unison through the opening Starfire had made.

"Oh, I do hope Beast Boy has found a way to open that door!" Starfire exclaimed as she blasted what drones she could.

"We'll find out when we get there!" Raven shouted back.

-

* * *

-

Robin ducked with plenty of room to spare as a drone slashed at where his throat had been. There were nearly a dozen drones in the sealed-off corridor with him, with three others already disabled on the ground next to him. Robin pulled out his bo-staff and let it extend out between the drone's legs. Kicking off the wall behind him, Robin used the momentum to wrench the drone to the ground. Once knocked down, Robin pulled away with the bo and spun around quick enough to bash the drone's head in and roll away from a new attacker.

The boy wonder held his bo in one hand as he fished out his concussion discs with the other. Rolling into a crouched position, he threw them at the legs of two drones. He didn't wait for the impacts as he stood with his bo overhead, parrying a slash move by another attacker. Robin jammed the closest end into the drone's right eye as the corridor exploded behind him. He spun the opposite end around into the same drone's neck, bashing the robotic head off in a mess of sparks and wiring. The upgraded armor seemed to concentrate mostly in the body and limbs, but not so much in the connections.

Robin flung his bo out and behind him at a new attacker. The staff flew straight through the air, striking it in the throat and knocking it down. With two free hands, Robin pulled out two birdarangs and flicked them to his sides before ducking another slash from yet another drone. He turned his body sideways to dodge a follow-up slash from the drone's other set of blades. There was a clang from the drone on Robin's left as it went down from one of the birdarangs striking it in the faceplate.

Robin grabbed the top of the head belonging to the drone in front of him as it attempted to recover from its last slash, and the Titan flipped himself up and over it with ease. On the way down its back, he slapped two charges on the back of the drone's knees and ran. He made it to the drone with the birdarang imbedded in its face and pulled the weapon out as the charges exploded. Timing his throw, Robin let the birdarang go towards the falling drone. Its faceplate barely fell out of the weapon's trajectory, and the birdarang sailed past it into the neck of the drone behind it.

As the rear one fell over in a shower of sparks, another attacker leaped over the mess in front of it right for Robin. This one had another birdarang, the other of the two Robin originally had thrown, imbedded in its shoulder armor just shy of its neck joint. _Damn it…missed with that one._ The Teen Titan jumped for the wall to his right, using it to climb higher into the air as the drone landed where he'd been crouched. As soon as Robin's feet were planted on the ground, he was in a sprint.

Red beams started tearing up the floor and walls around Robin. This was the first time these drones had opened fire. It made sense; now that most of the drones had been deactivated, the survivors were risking laser fire in the narrow surroundings. Robin flipped through the air and landed with his hands surrounding the loose head of one of the monsters. On a recovery roll, Robin tossed the head underhanded at the firing drone. The head took two hits and sprayed metal fragments as it spun messily to the ground, never making it to the humanoid robot.

However, it did buy Robin enough time to get to his other birdarang. He jumped towards and behind one of the other drones still standing, using it as protection. As the drone turned around to slash at Robin, it took a perfect hit from friendly fire in the back of its torso-plate. When it fell backwards, Robin let his birdarang fly through the air and strike the laser point on the far drone's left shoulder. The entire limb exploded, throwing the robot into the closest wall.

Robin continued to run for the far part of the corridor where the last drone stood its ground. Its laser points opened fire, and Robin found himself twisting and dodging the robot's aim. He made a dash for the dead drone with Robin's staff still stuck in its neck. Getting a firm grip and wrenching the staff free, Robin leaped up towards the last of the mechanical monsters. He tucked into a ball and rolled under, building momentum as he flew into his target.

As he completed his roll in the air, the boy wonder opened up his body with his staff over his head. As the final laser burned through his cape on his left, Robin slammed home. The drone's face cracked open, revealing its internal workings. As Robin's feet touched ground, he spun around with his staff and slammed the robot at its knees. Once it was down, he wasted no time jamming his staff end into its face for the kill.

Then, all was eerily quiet, save for the few random sparks of electricity from loose robot wires.

_I've got to find a way out of here..._

-

* * *

-

Cyborg grabbed hold of the drone in front of him by the face. His massive fingers grappled around the robot's head, and he picked it up with ease. Barely even trying, he slung it around and smashed it into the last two drones in the room. He let go, and the whole mess of bodies and limbs slammed into the corridor wall before slumping to the ground in a shower of sparks. Cyborg shook his head.

"Brand-new armor," he started, "same sorry-ass 'bots."

Cyborg surveyed the corridor for the first time. The way he'd come in had been sealed off. As well, the entryway into the hangar that the drones were coming in from was shut tight. The good news was that no more attackers would be coming in. Unless more were now piling up where he'd come from. Cyborg activated his motion tracker. Most movement was coming from the hangar, with very little—if any—movement behind him.

"That settles it," Cyborg said out loud. "Back the way I came." He converted his right arm to blaster mode and let a beam of sonic energy decimate the blast door ahead of him.

-

* * *

-

It took more effort than Raven was used to keeping her defensive walls constantly up as she held off attacks throughout the long corridor. Luckily, the groups of drones here were interspersed along the way, leaving moments of down time for Raven to rest in the air. Starfire was holding well against the attacks, firing over Raven's fields to take out the drones in front of them and turning to keep the same group occupied as they flew past.

The metallic corridor walls began joining with the cavern rock, and Raven knew they were close. There was a jammer of some kind preventing their communicators from working. She couldn't in any way concentrate hard enough to get in Beast Boy's head to know what was going on, but she could barely sense his presence on one effort during this last stretch. At least he wasn't dead.

As the corridor, now mostly rock, began turning Raven put more concentration in her flight. Her fields were down as there was nothing to attack them. The corridor straightened out, and Raven could finally see the end of it. There were two problems. The first was the cluster of drones blocking the passageway. The second was the giant door. It was still sealed.

"Shit," Raven cursed as her eyes turned white. It took her a bit more effort this time to get the fields up. It was just in time as the humanoid machines opened fire. "If Beast Boy can't open those doors, we're going to be trapped."

"Let us first clear away the menace in front of us!" Starfire answered, her eyes glowing in fury. Her balled fists lit up and unleashed volley after volley of green energy. Some drones took direct hits, while others ducked and dodged out of the way. Both girls settled to the ground and took cover behind some of the rock jutting out of the wall. Finally Raven was able to go on offense. Her eyes glowed even brighter as she spread her fingers out wide.

"Azarath, Metrion..." Raven began, gliding out into the center of the corridor. Landing half-crouched, she spread her hands in front of her.

"…ZINTHOS!"

Raven let two bolts of black energy fly from her hands and strike two of the drones. She began levitating up and to her right as the return-fire began. Starfire took the opportunity to take down more of the drones. Raven redirected her fire at new targets, quickly gliding in closer. She ceased her attack after they went down and returned her protective barrier in front of her.

Laser fire from the last of the drones deflected off the field, but the closer Raven got, the weaker the field seemed to be getting. Raven tensed a bit more, focusing just a little more energy into her approach. Then, at the right moment, Raven pushed the field forward. The energy enveloped the last three drones, wrapped around them and squeezed.

"Now, Starfire, Hit them HARD!" Raven yelled.

Starfire gathered her energy and unleashed it in a final blow. Just before the green ball of fire made it across the room, Raven let go of the black field. There was now nothing in between the drones and the final attack.

As the smoke cleared and debris stopped sizzling and sparking, Raven and Starfire gathered at the door. Starfire started searching up and down for a possible way to open it from their side. Raven already knew it was useless. She was just drained enough to know she wasn't going to be able to mentally talk to Beast Boy from here.

"More soldiers will be here soon," Raven voiced.

"We may have to blast our way through, then," Starfire answered.

Raven shook her head. "It's much thicker than the other blast doors. Besides, we'd need to be able to close it behind us." Even with that bit of logic, the girls' options were few. Still, for all they knew, it was a trap on the other side as well, and Beast Boy was already captured. "We're just going to have to hope Beast Boy can still open this thing up..."

Almost as if Beast Boy had been listening, the doors hissed at the seam. The circular hatch split down the middle and began sliding sideways. From inside the room beyond, peaking out from a set of control panels, was Beast Boy.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!"

Both girls ran inside just as the clanking of running footfalls began to echo behind them. "Beast Boy..."

"Close the door," Beast Boy finished. "Yeah, I know." He jammed his palm down on the console, and the doors began closing behind them. When they sealed, Beast Boy pushed a large lever on the console all the way to the top of the board.

"Nice timing," Raven smirked. She looked around. A few drone bodies—the workers—littered the floor. Beast Boy had done a number on them. There was no telling which of his forms he'd taken to pull this off. "Though next time, I'd prefer not to cut it so close."

"Dude, my computer skills are kinda limited to video games, okay? When Cyborg can turn into a mouse, _he_ can do this next time. Yer lucky I figured out how to open the door at all!"

"How _did_ you figure it out, anyway?"

"Oh, it was the second big red button. After you pull the big lever thing next to it all the way down."

Raven cocked her head, slightly. "Second button?"

"Um…" Beast Boy started, scratching his head, "yeah, the first big red button sorta triggered the alarms. Sorry."

"Ugh…" Raven groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Beast Boy started. "These panel buttons all look alike! I mean, who puts TWO big red buttons on their computer stations? And there's, like, no labels!"

Raven shook her head and walked past Beast Boy. She looked around at the consoles. The one immediately to her left held a series of switches and buttons, one of them large and red. None of the switches had any markings at all. Raven assumed the systems were designed that way to prevent sabotage or capture of the base. Across from that set of panels was another. It also carried a large red button. _This _is _rather confusing. Can't really blame Beast Boy this time._

"We have to find Robin and Cyborg."

"There's a panel with monitors on it in the back," Beast Boy chimed in. "Check on 'em there."

As Raven made her way to the back of the large room, a series of dull 'thoom' sounds started coming from the main door. Raven started looking at all the small monitors now in front of her, spotting the camera view outside the corridor. The drones had arrived and were firing their shoulder weapons at the large steel door.

"That should hold them for a while. They aren't making much progress." Raven started glancing at the rest of the monitors. Below the monitors was a grid map of the underground base. It indicated camera locations, main pathways, various power sources and conduit channels, everything Raven needed to know.

A blur of motion from one of the monitors caught Raven's attention. "I see Robin coming through one of the corridors." She identified the camera on the map and traced Robin's heading. "He's going to hit a dead-end. Beast Boy, have you figured out how to open the corridors manually?"

"No," Beast Boy answered. "Unless you want me to keep hitting buttons blindly…"

"Forget it. Robin's planting a charge on the door. Hope he has more of those. I don't see Cyborg yet…"

A flash from another monitor alerted Raven, and she watched as the smoke cleared. Cyborg walked through what had been a sealed door and made his way down another corridor.

"Never mind, I see him now." Raven tracked where Cyborg and Robin were heading. "They don't know where to go. We have to find a way to lead them here. _And _warn them about the mess outside…"

It was at this point that Starfire floated off to Raven's right. Raven turned around as she caught the motion out of the corner of her eye. Before she could ask anything, Raven noticed the small door on the other far wall. Raven turned back to the grid map and looked for their position. She traced her finger across to the door Starfire was walking towards and examined the map. Then, she looked back over at Starfire as she opened the door.

Knowing Raven could do little more at the monitor station, she followed behind Starfire. "Beast Boy, keep trying those controls. Figure out what you can."

"You actually _want_ me to blindly press buttons?" Beast Boy asked, rather shocked.

"Considering the only button I'd be afraid of is the one we already know, the one that opens and closes that big door, I'm not too worried."

Beast Boy blinked. "Well, since you put it that way…"

Raven was close behind Starfire as she entered the room. The map layout had shown this room to be huge, and it was. At least three times the size of the computer room behind her, this room was built for storage. Transparent cylindrical containment systems lined both walls along each side. Small computer terminals and their mess of wires stopped short in front of each one. But the containment systems were empty. What were they meant to store?

More importantly to Raven was what had been displayed on the grid map. The entire room had a multitude of buzzing noises. All the electrical power conduits, all the different supply lines either came from or came back to this room. It was more than just for storage. This was the nerve center of the underground base's power supply.

"Might we be able to shut anything down from here, if not from the control room?" Starfire suggested.

"It would take too long to figure out what power sources worked the doors off that map. And I don't think the drones operate from some single control box. Though, it would be nice."

"There must be something in here of value. Something that can help our friends."

In unison, the two girls eyed the largest of the power boxes in the room. Easily three times their height, it was also the loudest.

"We might be able to use this," Raven started. "We could possibly generate an electro-magnetic pulse and disable the drones."

"But…Cyborg…" Starfire started.

Raven cursed. Cyborg had built-in EMP dampers, but this was going to be one big field. It was hard to say what kind of effect it might have on him. This wasn't going to be so easy…

"_Hello?_" Beast Boy's voice echoed violently throughout the power room. "_Can anyone hear me?_"

Raven wiggled a finger in one ear. "He found the loudspeaker system. Of all things he could have found…"

_...Of all the things to...find..._

Raven turned back for the computer room and ran towards Beast Boy. "Hey, Guess what?" Beast Boy started.

"I heard," Raven said with less patience than she meant. "When I say, I need you to tell Cyborg to shut down his systems completely."

"Cyborg? But, what if they..."

"Trust me. Just get on that thing and let him know, then wait for my say and tell him when."

Raven did not wait for a response as she turned back for the room. She looked for Starfire, who was already tearing off panels from the larger power source. Raven set to work with what knowledge Cyborg had given her on electro-magnetic fields.

"I just need to bypass the breakers. The power box will overload on its own. I'll need to divert the right paths to get the right kind of reaction. I'm just afraid the connections will burn off before it can build up."

"Then, you will need extra energy to ignite the pulse properly," Starfire stated as she backed up slightly, prepping her hands to fire.

Raven looked at Starfire and nodded quickly as she set back to work. "I'll have to contain the explosion before it can kill us, but yeah, we'll need a starter." She successfully disconnected the power to the box so she could rewire it to the best of her ability. There was a low thrum of energy that died away after the disconnection.

"_Um, Cyborg?_" Beast Boy's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. There was a slight bit of feedback as he continued. "_I'm gonna need you to shut down all your power when I tell you to. Like, everything._" There was a pause, as Raven got halfway done with rewiring the power box.

"_Raven said to,_" Beast Boy added.

-

* * *

-

"Say, what!" Cyborg's first reaction echoed down the corridor. When Beast Boy mentioned it was Raven's say, he took it a bit more seriously. Not that he wouldn't trust Beast Boy, but given the situation, it was a request out of the blue.

"Man, those kids better know what they're doing..."

Cyborg winced as a laser bolt smashed up against his right shoulder, cracking the armor. He turned and readied his sonic blaster, only to see a good dozen drones gunning for him. Quickly, he opened fire.

"That the best we got over there?" Cyborg taunted, when a blast from behind him slammed into the back of his left ankle. He dropped to one knee and looked down the opposite corridor. More drones.

"Aw, come on, now," Cyborg complained as he blasted the first drone. He turned back to the first group and continued blasting, alternating between both groups. They had ceased firing their laser bolts, as there were now two teams across from each other.

"Damn it, B! Whatever's going on up there, y'all better hurry it up!" The waves behind continued to get heavier, the numbers increasing faster than Cyborg could knock them down. Finally they were on him, clawing at him and trying to cut him to pieces. Cyborg punched in a faceplate here, ripped an arm there, tore off one drone's leg and slammed it into another behind him. It was almost too intense. Cyborg wasn't sure how long he could keep them at bay.

"_Cyborg, NOW!_" Beast Boy screamed over the loudspeaker.

"You better be right!" Cyborg shouted, more to himself. He began internally shutting down every major system he had. The last thing he saw before his vision cut out was a drone raising its claw high into the air...


	4. Connections

**IV**

**Connections**

There was a distinct lack of lighting in the underground cavern. Some emergency lights still functioned in certain areas, but most places were pitch black. The one good thing was that a lot of the noise in the generator room was pretty much gone. The sudden stop of everything after the explosion had even Raven a little spooked.

When Raven had given her command, Beast Boy was over the intercom in no time. Raven had plugged the generator back in and flipped the switch. As she had gotten back, Starfire let a single starbolt fly into the machine. A split-second later, Raven created a barrier curved around their side of the device. Even with the protection of Ravens magic field, the boom was deafening. The underground room rocked with a massive force that threatened to start a cave-in, one that luckily never occurred.

The electro-magnetic pulse successfully traveled throughout the base. Other generators had blown out, lights went black, and the dull 'thoom' sound from outside the heavy blast door had completely stopped. Raven had slumped to the ground, finally drained.

It had taken another half-hour for Cyborg and Robin to make it to the other side of the heavy door. It was with Cyborg's help that Raven and Beast Boy were able to power the door and get it to crack open. Cyborg probably wouldn't have even been there to tap out—really, pound out—against the door in code the instructions for restoring power to the door itself if Robin hadn't come across him and the pile of malfunctioning drones. It had turned out the drones were E.M.P shielded as well. They just weren't shielded enough to withstand such a heavy and directed blast. Even the ones at the blast door were still whirring and twitching their limbs. One was crawling uselessly into the wall further down the corridor.

_As long as they aren't attacking us, I don't care what condition they're in_.

Raven watched as Cyborg did his best to try and restore power to the underground base as best he could, but Raven and Starfire had really done a number with the explosion they had caused. After a moment, Cyborg came out of the storage and generator room and made his way to the darkened map inside the control room. Raven could tell her was making mental notes of everything. Then he looked up at Robin. "Got the place mapped out, now. We can scope out the rest of it and see where our boy is hiding."

Raven didn't give a reaction, but Cyborg's comment brought up a thought she had been having since getting to the control room. Everything was organized, functioning and filled with drones. However, there was no ringleader to be found.

There was no Slade.

Even Robin seemed to take to this cue. Why would Slade set all this up and not even be here? Why wasn't he here, especially now that the Titans had shown up? Had he not expected them to find this place so soon? Certainly, the alarm Beast Boy accidentally set off must have been connected with Slade's person. He would have been warned and making his way to the base from wherever he was at this moment. Sooner, even—he should have already been there.

"Normally, I'd say split up," Robin said. "But, it's too dark, and we know too well what we're dealing with. I don't want to blow this!"

Robin began walking to the blast door. Cyborg was right behind him, his shoulder lamp up. Raven and the rest followed suit out into the cave-like hall. There wasn't much else to explore in the control room...now that everything had been shorted out.

They'd gotten out into the corridors when Cyborg turned to Raven and the others. "Just so you know, my electro-magnetic shielding is pretty tough. I would have been able to take that blast without shuttin' down."

Raven nodded. "We didn't know for sure. And we could only talk to you one-way." She looked at Starfire. "We didn't want to take a chance."

Cyborg sighed. "You should'a been in my position." Robin had told the team how he'd found Cyborg and the malfunctioning drone pile. Cyborg filled in with the last image he remembered before shutting down.

_Not too pleasant a last memory_. Raven suppressed a shutter, keeping her composure as she walked. At least it turned out not to have been the last memory Cyborg would ever have.

"Thanks, though," Cyborg continued, "I appreciate y'all lookin' out for me."

Raven smirked. "Don't mention it."

"Agreed!" Starfire added in. "You would have applied the same reasoning if it were one of us."

"Yeah, what are friends for?" Beast Boy finished. "Um...just to let you know, it wasn't my idea."

Cyborg laughed, the sound echoing down the now-metallic corridor. "Yeah," he responded, "I heard you."

The team traveled through the endless halls, making turns seemingly blind and passing by plenty of twitching drone bodies. Raven was rather thankful for the time to recharge herself, even while being at the ready. It continued to feel as if the team didn't know where to go, but Robin had taken up behind Cyborg like everyone else, letting him lead by his memory of the grid map he had read.

"By the way," Robin mentioned, "anyone else besides me pay attention to those containers in that generator room?"

"I noticed," Raven answered. "Any idea what they were for?"

Robin looked ahead without saying anything for a moment. "Power," he finally responded. "The question is, what kind."

The corridor finally ended. Cyborg checked a reading-unit on his left arm, then put his arm down and looked forward. The door up ahead was sealed like so many others, but this one was marked differently. Raven made an attempt to read the label, but Cyborg blasted the door too quickly. Whatever the tag, it didn't seem to matter.

"Got a life sign," Cyborg said over his shoulder. "Be ready."

The Titans were on a heightened guard entering the new room. It seemed to be a storage room...an _actual_ storage room. Maintenance supplies mixed with metal conduits and old wiring lying around on dusty fold-open shelves. The room was long; Raven could see when Cyborg's lamp shined forward for a moment. Then, the lamp turned against the wall. A small shaft entrance sat about chest-height. Cyborg signaled he was about to open the shaft panel. Had Slade gotten away through here? Raven whispered a quick spell. She reached out with her mind, felt the minds in the small room, extended her reach through the shaft...

…_At_ the shaft!

"Cyborg!" Raven warned, her eyes flying open. "He's right--"

The shaft panel punched open of its own accord, and a form slumped at Cyborg's feet. Robin, right at Cyborg's side, was on him in an instant. He grabbed the large jumpsuit by the back of the collar and flung the man against the opposite wall. Robin knocked over a small set of supplies with the man's body, the sound of clatter nearly muffling the larger man's grunt from his impact. For someone much larger than Robin, the Boy Wonder seemed to be able to throw him around with a lot of ease.

That was when Raven got a good look at their captive. His glowing red goggles, full body hood, audio amps over his ears, the breather jammed up his nostril...and that partially toothless smile. Here he was, caught, and he was still smiling.

Robin gripped at the sides of the old man's collar even tighter, getting right into his face. Finally, he spoke.

"Chang!"

Raven hovered to her right as Robin threw Chang out of the storage room and out into the corridor. He was angry, and Raven wasn't getting in his way. Not yet, anyway.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Robin growled.

Chang clambered to his feet, made difficult by his backpack and heavy jumpsuit. Robin made his way to him, grabbed him by the back of the jumpsuit and hauled him yet again into the wall. Chang grunted.

"You," Chang began, "should not be throwing around such an old man. It is not very polite!"

"I'm fresh out of polite!" Robin spit back. "Answer the question!"

"What good would such an answer serve, boy?" Chang responded, defiantly.

"I want to know what you're doing working for Slade!"

The group crowded around Robin and Chang. It was a standard intimidation tactic for captured criminals. Chang's arrogance needed taking down a notch. It seemed to serve its purpose, as Chang's smile became more forced.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Chang managed.

"You're here in his secret base," Cyborg volunteered. "Wanna explain that to us?"

"I'm going to try this one last time," Robin said, clutching Chang's jumpsuit tighter. "Where is Slade?"

"Slade…he has not been seen since the liberation of Jump City. The last I heard, you, the Titans, you killed him. Why do you ask me of his whereabouts?"

Robin clearly had enough. He jammed Chang against the wall harder, causing the old man to wheeze. Chang began to fight him, but Robin's clutches were too tight. Chang flailed his limbs about, looking at the other Titans for help. They all held their ground.

"I..." Chang coughed out, "…I know…nothing! I sw--swear!"

Robin pulled Chang off the wall, right to his own face. "I don't believe you!" He slammed him against the wall again, causing Chang to make a rather pitiful squeal. It was at that moment, something clanked at Chang's feet. It was cylindrical, and it slowly rolled towards where Raven and Beast Boy stood. Beast Boy squeaked, taking a few steps back. Raven surrounded it in her magic, bringing it up to her own hand. Her face flushed with anger, mixing with shock. Her eyes began to glow white, and it took some effort for Raven to keep from completely exploding.

"Where did you get this!" Raven growled out, her voice altered. Robin still held Chang to the wall, but his attention was now on Raven.

Chang stumbled with his words. "Uh…that is mine! It comes from ancient ancestors. Passed down from generations." Chang smiled as he continued. "Yes...given to me long ago. I...I keep it for luck! It is said that one who possesses such a—"

"QUIET!" Raven shouted. Her voice carried down the corridor and echoed all around the group. The reverberation had just the effect Raven wanted. She walked up and brandished the object in Chang's face.

"This is an Azarath scroll!"

Chang's jaw went from a smile to a full drop. With the goggles over his eyes, it looked comical even to Raven. However, it didn't amuse her in the least.

"I want to know where you got this." Raven said, lowering her voice. It was still just as menacing. Her eyes flared brightly as she displayed her clenched teeth.

Chang was scared. Whatever defiant will he had when facing Robin was now gone. He stuttered horribly as he tried to answer. "I...do...th-the—it wuh...was…k-k…p-pl…please! I..."

"I'd tell her the truth," Beast Boy said from behind Raven. "Like, right now."

"Talk!" Raven yelled in his face. Chang visibly jumped in Robin's hands. His breath rattled as he tried to speak, but all that came out was high-pitched noise. Suddenly, he slumped in Robin's grip. His whole body went limp and slid down the wall until the only thing keeping him up was Robin's hold on his jumpsuit.

"He passed out!" Cyborg noted.

"I don't believe this," Robin mumbled, dropping Chang without regard.

Raven forced herself to calm down. It was extremely difficult. The answer to her question just fainted in front of them. That did nothing to help her mood, but she knew she had too. She closed her eyes, ignoring the conversation of the team to take a moment and collect.

"That still doesn't answer the question of where Slade is," Robin said to Cyborg, answering some prior comment.

Raven lifted her head. "Slade isn't here."

No one argued with Raven once she'd said it. Even Robin seemed to concede to the facts. "Where's he gone?" Robin finally asked.

"He was never here," Raven said. Her gaze looked back on the unconscious Chang.

"Never here?" Beast Boy asked. "So…all this got built by itself? Did you see those robots? They practically _screamed_ Slade! Chang didn't do all this!"

"No," Raven shook her head. "Slade built this. But…he hasn't been here for a while."

Robin looked directly at Raven. "Chang wasn't working for Slade," he said. "He found this place."

"He did more than find it," Raven said. "He improved upon it."

Robin crossed his arms. "Are you saying he's responsible for the drone upgrades we saw? How could he have upgraded all of them? How could he learn what to do in such a short time?"

Raven looked to the scroll in her hand. She held down one of the small symbols on the right. The parchment, limp and pliable around the single cylinder, began sliding out. When it was fully extended, it flattened straight as a board.

"It's called a Rontizma scroll," she started to explain. "Reading the incantation aloud grants the wielder an enhanced intellect, capable of understanding and absorbing information with a far greater ability than normal for a short while."

"Chang used the scroll," Robin finished.

"Woah," Beast Boy interrupted. "Are you sure?"

"Once read, the incantation disappears from the scroll for a time. It's a result of how much magic the spell requires." Raven held the scroll towards Beast Boy. "The parchment is blank. Someone's used it. And it takes roughly two months before the spell is returned to full potency."

"That limits its use," Robin said.

"Which limits its users," Starfire added.

Raven looked to the others. "If Chang is telling the truth, then Slade is not here. Which means, the only one left to have used this scroll is Chang himself."

Beast Boy scratched at his head. "Dude, where's a guy like this get one of these runty-scrolls anyway?"

Raven glared at Beast Boy. "_Rontizma_. It means, 'momentary insight.' And..." Raven paused a moment. She closed her eyes and collected herself. Again. She had a pretty good idea where it had come from. She just couldn't come out and say it. Not just yet. "...and, Chang may have found it. Here, in the base."

"What?" Robin's eyes widened behind his mask.

"Slade…Slade must have gotten hold of it."

"From when his drones attacked the tower," Cyborg finished.

"We did end up missing some personal items once we had cleaned up," Starfire added. "Once we thought Slade to be dead, we ceased considering the consequences of some of those missing items."

"With the information he'd gotten off us," Raven continued, "he might have even been able to translate the spell. He just never got the chance to use it."

"And then Chang stumbles across it," Robin finished, looking down at the passed-out form under him. "He finds the translation and activates the spell. That lets him get the knowledge to upgrade everything. This place, the drones…those containers seemed newer than the rest of the complex. He was up to something big."

"Whatever it may have been," Starfire said, "we have stopped him."

"So, wait," Beast Boy started, looking at Raven, "you had one of these scrolls? How many times did you ever use it?"

Raven looked away from Beast Boy, away from everyone. They would need an answer to that. She thought of one particular moment in her life. That would do. "Once. When I first came here. It helped me adjust to everything much easier. I'd locked it away ever since."

It was a lie. Raven never possessed a Rontizma scroll. She really didn't know why she told them that. Maybe she simply wanted to deal with this problem alone, and that misinformation would allow her to do so.

"Only once?" Beast Boy asked. "Man, I'd be reading that thing off every time it recharged!"

Raven nodded. "What you must understand is that multiple readings of the scroll puts a strain on the mind. It has the potential of driving the user mad if used too many times."

That much was true. The scrolls were dangerous as they were useful on Azarath. They were closely guarded as a result. Yet, here one was in Raven's hand.

"Well," Robin finally said, "we're done here. We'll call in the police and take Chang where he belongs."

The group walked out, Chang in tow over Cyborg's shoulder. Beast Boy turned to Raven. "So, there's still one thing I don't get. If the scroll makes you all smart, how come Chang didn't know it was from Azarath? He looked pretty surprised when you told him that."

Raven looked straight ahead as they walked to the car. "The scroll grants the ability to gain knowledge. It doesn't give knowledge. The scroll's translation might have been given without an indication as to where it's from. And nothing on the scroll actually states any origin."

"Oh," Beast Boy responded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "So, like…can I borrow it in a couple of months?"

Raven didn't answer. Normally, she might have been in the mood to give him some smart remark back, but she wasn't. Beast Boy got the hint and let it go. It was perhaps forty minutes and a trip to and from the jail later that the team was back comfortably in the Tower.

Raven, however, was anything but comfortable.

-

* * *

-

One evening later, Raven found herself in front of one of the quieter computer terminals in the Tower. She had been searching for the better part of three hours through the different online search engines and programs to find the information she wanted. There was no sense in the air, no aura to follow to some out of the way meeting place. Raven didn't expect it this time. That only served to make things harder. She simply had too many questions with nowhere to take them.

It was all of three hours ago she had decided to meditate in the late afternoon when her emotions grew too irritable. She took up her place on the roof of the Tower and began levitating in place. It was perhaps ten minutes when a vision flashed quickly in her mind. A vision of the scroll.

She first assumed it was simply realization that the reason she was getting flustered was because of the questions relating to the Azarath scroll. She sat on it—rather, levitated on it for another moment before deciding to go back down to her room. There, she took the scroll out of her keepsake chest and examined it. The vision and the scroll in her hand didn't seem to correlate. The idea didn't mingle in her brain too well, and Raven's agitation grew slightly worse. She put the Rontizma scroll back into her chest and walked out of her room to the nearest computer terminal with a chair next to it.

Her first bit of luck was that in the last near-three hours she'd been sitting there no one had bothered her. She had typed in local references to ancient artifacts found in or around the Jump City area. When nothing came up in the jumble, Raven typed in a rather specific lone keyword. She found two articles relating to the subject. Both read of a cylindrical object or 'scroll of unknown origin' having been found recently. No information was given in either article as to where it was found, but the writer of the article suggested the object might have been lost by a group of archeologists heading through Jump City. One of the two articles mentioned peculiar markings on the outside. Expert testimony stated that the symbols were of no known language that could be thought of at the time of the article. Neither story stated where the scroll was currently being held. Both articles dated from a month ago.

One month. A decent amount of time to read the scroll and make use of the knowledge gained in the short moment of heightened intellect. Raven continued her search, concentrating on archived video from the news networks in Jump City kept in the Tower database. The subjects were listed based on primary stories, so quick-mentions were going to have to be searched manually. Digging through the closest-relating titles around the date of the newspaper articles came up empty, so Raven spent another hour going through them all again, fast-forwarding through what didn't match. Then, her work paid off.

Sure enough, a minor news report came up about a mystery scroll found in Jump City around the same time as the written articles. She didn't wait for the reporter to finish her introduction and sped the tape up to the on-the-scene video feed. Suddenly, there it was. An Azarath scroll sitting inside a case on a desk for the camera to capture while some so-called expert attempted to explain what he thought it might have been.

On some hunch, Raven searched through news reports made in the recent days. She found one report dated two days ago, stating the mystery scroll was still an unknown and that no one had come to claim ownership. Someone interviewed added his opinion that the thing might have been a hoax to make someone believe it to be authentic. The report ended with the anchorwoman stating that the scroll had been transferred to a series of archaeologists for examination at the Jump City Museum of Science and History. Raven looked up from the screen.

_Two days ago! It's not the same scroll as Chang's_...

Nothing in the last two days reported any theft from the museum. _Good, he hasn't been there._ Raven quickly did a map search online, finding the route to the museum. When she had it in her mind, she turned off the computer terminal and got up. Standing near the corridor wall, she closed her eyes to concentrate.

"You are going after him," Starfire's voice sounded from behind Raven. She turned her head to look at the girl from Tamaran. The timing in her arrival was peculiar to say the least, considering the last three to four hours of no one being around. Raven found nothing she could respond with. She looked away instead.

"You said those things inside that base, but you did not mean them," Starfire added. Her tone was not accusatory. Starfire rarely accused anyone except the criminals captured by the team, and even then only under circumstances she was sure of. Instead, the voice was that soft tone from simple fact underlined with a sense of sadness. Perhaps it was disappointment. "The scroll, it is not yours as you had claimed. Do you believe you know of the proper source?"

"I have to go back out," Raven finally said.

"You intend to fight this man?" Starfire queried. This time Raven turned fully around and looked the other girl over. Her arms were at her sides, though her hands fidgeted slightly. The Tamaranian seemed to want to place them in front of her chest, but she resisted.

Raven sighed, deciding to converse. "I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. I'm not sure I'll actually find him. "

Starfire took a few steps forward. "Please, tell me there is a reason you did not speak the truth with us earlier. You would never mislead us like that unless there was a purpose! What is it?"

Raven looked away again. She had a compulsion to simply tell Starfire that she did indeed have a reason. That she had a very good reason why she said what she had. The fact of the matter was, she didn't. Raven shook her head. _No. No more lying._

Raven raised her head back up and looked directly at Starfire. "I don't know," she said, simply. "I'm…not entirely sure yet." Raven knew Starfire was not satisfied with her answer. There was no change in her expression at all. She turned away yet again, closing her eyes to concentrate. "I have to go."

Starfire said nothing more. Raven opened the shadows around her and sank into the floor, heading out for the night.


	5. Confrontation

**V**

**Confrontation**

Raven slid her head out of the shadows in the corner of a small room within the museum. She found the security camera on the opposite side, but it was oscillating in the opposite direction and hadn't spotted her. She was quick to slide out of the wall and float just under the camera. The far wall was all glass, and Raven could see into the large showroom on the other side. She sank into the shadows again, reappearing under another security camera. Yet another security camera started angling towards her direction. She waited until the one above turned to the far right before hovering along the left wall, just out of the far camera's view.

She made her way to the entrance of a hallway, cameras stationed at both ends. She sank into the shadows to surface under the second camera on the far side, blocking the view of the first camera with a splotch of black magic. The lens would simply see a blackout. Raven thought it might alert a security guard to see a camera go out for a moment, but it was at the other end of the hall. The free camera she was under looked to the hall's entrance, and something would have needed to come through there first before the second camera could see anything anyway. Nothing, to its knowledge, did.

It was a few more maneuvers around the security cameras before Raven came into a locked-down room. It was marked with the standard warning of 'authorized personnel only,' and it was bolted down in two places. Raven smirked and sank under the door to appear on the other side. She quickly found out she was not alone in the room.

The center of the room was surrounded in glass, except for a sliding doorway left open. The center case had been cracked open, now empty. Raven looked to the corner to see a man holding the scroll in question in his right hand. His evening blue vest-jacket bound by golden straps stood out in the room. The black of his thick sleeves nearly blended with the shadows. He took a step back, the gray half-coat connected to his vest flowing out as his boot clicked from contact with the ground.

"Bastard," Raven growled at Zerrich. His free hand reached behind him, and a blue swirl of energy forced the shadows open. He jumped through as Raven dove after him. The swirl of magic and shadow closed too small for Raven to follow him through, but it didn't matter. Raven's eyes began to glow as the shadows at her feet reached up and over her, enveloping her entirely.

-

* * *

-

The blackness turned into an evening sky overlooking the Jump City Bay Area as Raven stepped out of the shadows in the ground. She was on a dirt embankment on the far side of the city, and she could see most of it across the other side of the bay. Zerrich was not much farther away, and he turned half-around when Raven appeared. He obviously wasn't expecting Raven's new trick, as his eyebrows rose at her.

"That's new," he said, trying to maintain his composure. "You never mentioned you could track through the shadows."

She was having none of it. "You're a thief," she accused, her eyes still glowing.

"And you're uninformed," Zerrich answered. "It didn't belong to that museum. Where do you think the scroll came from if not you?"

"If they did come from you," Raven started, "then you've taken them from the Elders of the Temple. Which still makes you a thief."

"Just like that?" Zerrich cocked his head. "That's the profound logic that resolves the situation for you?"

"Rontizma scrolls aren't just handed out!" Raven was getting angry. She tried to hold it back, but the situation made it difficult. Her voice calmed slightly, though it was still shaky. "You set us up."

Zerrich lowered his head, watching Raven from under his brow. "Where the hell is this coming from?"

"The hidden base," Raven said. "You gave the other scroll to Chang. You taught him how to read the incantation! You LET him reconstruct that army!"

Zerrich's head came back up, his eyes not leaving Raven's locked gaze. "Just a minute..."

"This stops." Raven interrupted. "No more games." She pulled out her Titans communicator, but before she could get her thumb on the signal trigger, the entire device began to glow blue. It yanked from her grip and flew over the dirt embankment into the bay.

"I'd prefer to leave them out of this," Zerrich said, his hand fading from a glowing blue. "Let's get one thing straight, I didn't know..."

"I don't believe you!" Raven cut him off, her eyes flaring brighter. She surrounded a nearby boulder in black energy and hurled it at Zerrich. His left hand went up in response, creating a small blue barrier to defend against the heavy rock.

"I don't want to go to this level with you again," Zerrich warned.

"I'm not letting you get away," Raven said. "I'll fight you myself if I have to. I've done it before."

"And where did it get you?" Zerrich responded. His poise dropped into a more combative form. "I can fend you off well enough."

"I can handle _you _well enough," Raven retorted, her hands glowing black.

Zerrich's eyes narrowed. "I'm not the one with a heavy burden."

Raven bristled. She bared her teeth, her fists clenched. She shot off the ground and charged straight at Zerrich, chanting quickly before unleashing a volley of black magic on her opponent.

"Jarus, Nichaul!" Zerrich shouted. A large energy barrier went up twice his size, absorbing the impacts. With it came a blastwave that pushed into Raven as she sped towards Zerrich. She pushed through the turbulence and fired forward with both hands. The blast made impact with Zerrich's barrier closer to Raven than she anticipated. Nearly too late, Raven became aware that the blue barrier was coming towards her as she blasted at it. She pulled up and to her right, keeping the blast from her left hand going for cover.

Just as she cut the energy off and began a spiral to her left, the counterattack began. Two blasts of blue energy sang loudly as they flew past her. A third caused Raven to cut her spiral and bank over hard. She began a slow circle around her target, firing a single shadow bolt at Zerrich's feet. He opted to leap backwards instead of blocking the attack. Raven reacted to Zerrich's change of tactic and let a long stream of energy fly as Zerrich regained his footing, but the other got his barrier back up before impact. He was simply too fast with his defenses, and Raven hadn't been able to capitalize on the opportunity in time. Raven ceased fire, and Zerrich's barrier went away as quickly as it went up. Two blasts sailed up at her, seemingly fired before the field had come fully down.

_It's happening the same way. Everything's _**exactly**_ the same._

Raven dodged the blasts and returned fire, but she knew she had to change tactics. She was keeping mostly on offense while Zerrich maintained a practiced guard. As well, she was being kept in a constant motion from his counterattacks, whereas Zerrich held his ground with very little movement. He was going to wear her out. Again.

_It's time I start learning._ Raven quickly landed, putting both hands together and striking at Zerrich from across the embankment. A blue dome surrounded him as Raven's energy blasted into it. She flew at him again, but this time Raven took the energy and slid downward until it made impact with the ground below the dome field. Rock and dirt chunks exploded around the energy field, and the dome barrier extended down to fill the small gap as quickly as it was made.

Suddenly the field went down, and Raven could see Zerrich swiping quickly at his face with one hand. The dirt from inside the dome had sprayed at him from the impact of the blast before the dome could reseal, and Zerrich had gotten a face-full of it. Raven punched forward, firing a heavy stream at Zerrich. It smashed right into his chest, throwing him off the embankment and out over the bay.

Before Zerrich could hit the water, he straightened his body out and flew level a foot off the water. He pulled up and made a sharp turn back for the embankment, but Raven was footed at its edge. She blasted at him, causing him to dodge and weave. A straight-on blast made impact with a blue barrier that came out of nowhere. Raven pushed forward with her hands, firing another long stream. Again the blue field went up, but this time Raven held it in place, her energy preventing it from speeding towards her. After a struggle, the field collapsed. Raven's blast punched straight through without any more resistance.

But it hit nothing on the other side. Something caught Raven's eye, and she looked up and to her left. Zerrich, well out of position, flew at her with a series of blasts flying in front of him. Raven had enough time to get a partial black field up to block one, but another caught her in the side. Raven was thrown clear of a third blast at where her feet had been, and she had enough mind to get a full dome around her to block off the rest of the volley. She could see and feel through the barrier the stream of bolts slamming over and above her until Zerrich flew past.

The girl dropped the dome and turned to see Zerrich in a crouched landing further away, his back turned to her. She took the opportunity to strike, but again Zerrich was faster. His right hand went out almost behind him, and a perfect square of energy held the blast at bay. Raven put her hands together, increasing the blast's strength. She then turned her hands clockwise, causing the stream to twist. The energy spiraled all the way to the blue field, turning against the barrier like a screw. It continued to spin until the solid blue energy of the barrier began to distort. Raven began walking forward, continuing the attack. Zerrich's barrier slowly spiraled along with the black energy attacking it. The whole thing started to buckle from the assault.

Before the field could drop, two streaks of blue shot out to the sides from behind the barrier. They curved back around and made their way towards Raven on both her left and right. As Zerrich's guard finally shattered, Raven was forced to drop her attack and shield herself on both sides. Black walls of energy came up on her left and right sides, taking the impacts directly. However, a third shot lanced out at Raven from Zerrich's position, and she was slow getting her hands in front of her. A weak band of energy streaked across her fingers from each hand, but the blast shattered through and hit her in the gut. She flew back a good distance but landed on her feet. The brittle guard she had put up absorbed some of the blast, though her stomach was still sore. Her left leg shook under its own weight, but Raven kept from falling over.

She was mad. Her eyes flared bright, and her teeth glared on their own. She leaped into the air, gathering energy into both fists. She flew to her left, letting a stream of black magic pummel into a newly erected rectangular barrier. Unstable tendrils danced from Raven's black stream at the impact point, threatening to slither around the barrier to the other side. Similar, smaller tendrils danced around Raven's hands, a sign her anger was beginning to best her. As Raven strafed across Zerrich's field to his other side, she half-expected the barrier to angle around with her. She quickly found out why it hadn't.

With no warning, a large blast of blue energy flew up towards her from the right side of Zerrich's guard. She reared back, slowing her flight to avoid contact, but the ball of energy curved to intercept her regardless. She gathered her strength, chanted, and struck back with a blast of magic. The black energy stream was again stable as it smashed into the projectile blast coming at her, but it only barely began slowing it down. She reached out with her mind, grabbing two large rocks in the area and slamming them up at the energy ball hoping to slow its approach. It was at a little more than past the three-quarter mark between the two combatants that the energy blast began to decelerate rapidly, and finally it exploded. Raven hovered backwards from the blast's power, but was quick to fly towards Zerrich again. She opened up with a new volley of energy, and she could tell his shield wasn't going to hold this time. She powered up her fists again, and at close-range, she fired.

The guard broke again, and Raven went sailing through it straight for Zerrich. With her fist surrounded in black magic she took a swing at him, to which he ducked. Raven landed to his side with her back partially turned, and she tried a roundhouse, magic-encased kick to Zerrich's temple. His arm came up quick, a blue field surrounding it. The block was made, and Raven barely regained her stance before taking another swing at him. She made contact with his chest, slipping past both guarded hands. He stepped back with a grunt before his right fist reared back to take its own shot. Along with the strike came a blue bolt, both fist and energy flying over Raven's ducked shoulder. She came back up with a powered uppercut that Zerrich stepped away from by a mere inch.

Zerrich caught her with a hit to the chest, forcing a grunt from her mouth. She recovered as fast as she could and went back into her attacks. Her fists made quick strikes for Zerrich's head and upper body, and the man dodged or blocked them in turn. However, his defensive approach was awkward. The physical counterstrikes that followed were sloppy, leading Raven to make a new conclusion.

He didn't know how to fight hand-to-hand. Rather, he could but with very little in regards to technique. Raven went into a series of attacks, keeping her movements quick. Zerrich's defenses at close range weren't doing the trick, and Raven landed many of her strikes. Zerrich landed few of his counterattacks, though the strength behind them was physically greater than Raven's. In the end Zerrich leaped back and into the air, putting up a small field to hold Raven's last punches at bay. She charged up after him, smashing at Zerrich's guard with shadow-surrounded fists. A follow-up kick disintegrated the left side of the barrier, causing the rest of it to go down. She brought her extended leg down and followed up with an open palm to Zerrich's stomach.

He flew back from the impact, and Raven charged at him one more time. As Raven jammed her magic-enclosed fists towards Zerrich's gut, the man grabbed at her upper arms and prevented the punches from hitting home. It was the wrong defensive move, and Raven knew how aware Zerrich was of that the moment he grabbed her arms.

The moment Raven smirked at him.

The magic energy around her fists discharged into Zerrich at point-blank. The explosion of energy was strong enough to knock even Raven back, and her hood fell away from her face as a result. Her hands stung, and she couldn't help but flex her fingers to try and get them to relax. Raven watched as Zerrich flew back in a decent spiral before hitting the ground hard—landing on his right arm—a good distance away. She hovered there a moment as he rolled on the ground before coming to a crumpled stop face-down. His left arm was tucked under his body, sticking out from beneath him. His right was limp and drawn out along the ground. He didn't move.

Raven hovered in place a few more moments as she watched him. She eyed him for the slightest twitch, keeping her right hand surrounded in shadow. Just in case. Nothing came from Zerrich, and Raven was convinced enough to move in closer. A part of her regretted having to take him to jail. He was probably right about what he'd said days before. Locked down, he would likely confess to very little. His true purpose for being here would be nothing more than an assumption by others. Raven was more concerned with what else Zerrich had planned. What if other events had been put into motion already? Events meant to cause more damage?

It didn't seem to matter. Chang had been stopped, and the underground base seemed to house enough cause for destruction that the chances of there being something bigger was hard to believe. Raven examined Zerrich again. Whatever he had been planning, he would no longer be in a position to pull it off. She relaxed her hand, letting the magic dissolve away. That was the moment that Raven thought the deep blue of Zerrich's vest was leaping forward on its own…

It wasn't his vest.

A sphere of blue energy traveled up and slammed into Raven's face. She was sure she had screamed, but no sound came to her ears. The impact took away her hearing, her vision, her sense of direction…everything on contact. Everything except the sensation of pain. Her face stung, burned was more accurate. She reached blindly for her face but felt no fire. It was the odd sensation of her fingers feeling her face, but not of the reverse. Her body felt like it was spinning, though she couldn't tell what direction. Her mindset was so chaotic that there was no way for her to concentrate and recover.

She felt a sudden jolt and stinging sensation from the whole of her left side. Raven could only assume she'd hit the ground. The wind knocked out of her lungs, and she struggled to take a breath. She rolled painfully onto her back. Her sense of direction was so off it seemed to feel as if she was rolling down hill. The world in her mind spun back the other direction, making orientation even worse. Raven hadn't been able to take a breath since she hit the ground and thought she felt herself going unconscious…

Then, her lungs drew in the air they needed. She coughed it out and took another breath. That one was followed by a quicker inhale and exhale, and Raven began a slow panting as her breathing returned to normal. She stayed on her back, her hands falling away from her face and limply to the sides of her head. Her face still stung, but a sensation of blood rush flooded her eyes with a colorful dance of sparks. The small, starry explosions brought more and more light from the real world to her eyes until she could see a blur of the sky.

Raven attempted to sit up with a groan. The first thing she realized was the vertigo that had messed with her head when she rolled over was still there. The second was that her left arm was shaky when she tried to use it to prop herself up. She rolled slightly to her right and attempted to get her feet under her. After a couple of staggering tries, she slowly stood up. The world, now starting to come into focus, had stopped spinning and had settled on slowly rocking back and forth. The sound in her ears was still muffled.

Her thoughts went to the blind-shot, just before impact. The energy blast from Zerrich's left hand, tucked under his body, had shifted its hue to a slightly darker blue. The shot had blended perfectly with his clothing. She hadn't seen it coming, didn't realize what it was until it was too late. She turned her head—very slowly—to where Zerrich had fallen.

There were drag marks in the dirt the size of a grown man trailing from the impact point to the left. The man from Azarath had propped himself up against a nearby boulder with his left arm resting across his stomach. He kept his right arm off at a slight angle away from his body. It was held straight, as if he were afraid to bend it. Zerrich's left knee was slightly arched, most likely as a result of a final push-off along the ground. His expression was strained as he looked out at the bay. He hadn't taken off running. He hadn't seized the moment to slip into the shadows while Raven was down. Perhaps because he didn't have the energy for it. Just as Raven didn't have the strength to pursue him if he had.

Once again, neither came from the duel victorious, neither was defeated, and neither had the capacity at the moment to continue. Stalemate. It was becoming a habit that maddened Raven to a degree she didn't want to reach. Most of what calm she had gained went into keeping her demons at bay. The remaining energy went into keeping her balance.

"Are we done?" Zerrich said from where he sat, his voice sounding muffled to Raven's ears.

She looked at Zerrich as he put his head back against the boulder. His chest was rising and falling quickly, indicating a shortness of breath from their fight. He closed his eyes tight, moving his left arm delicately to his side and wincing. He was definitely hurting. If not all over, his lower ribs at least were paining him.

Raven made her way to where Zerrich sat. She walked delicately along the ground, leaning slightly back and forth along with the slow rocking motions in her head. The sting in her face had turned into a full tingling, and she had taken to itching and massaging her cheeks and chin to get the blood circulating properly. When she finally got to Zerrich, she realized she honestly didn't know what to do with him next. She yielded to the facts and finally lowered herself to the ground. She grunted as she bent her legs and attempted to get them out in front of her to sit comfortably, leaning back against the same boulder. They were both worn out. No one was going anywhere or doing anything at the moment.

"You're still a thief," she deadpanned.

Zerrich's head came back from leaning against the boulder, and he took a breath to speak. "You honestly don't know that. I don't know if it's your pessimistic nature labeling me or…"

"You _know_ those scrolls aren't just given out freely, I told you," Raven retorted.

Zerrich looked at Raven. "Interesting how much you seem to know. Considering how much you kept to yourself in Azarath."

"Don't do that," Raven warned. "Don't act like I don't know my own people. And don't think you're getting yourself out of all this. You gave that scroll to Chang."

"As I was trying to tell you," Zerrich started, taking a labored breath before continuing, "I had nothing to do with that."

"You knew about that entrance at the hill. We've been here a long time. Longer than you. We never even knew about it. How did you? How could you know unless…"

"There's one thing I've always noticed about those that perform their tasks for an extended time," Zerrich interrupted. "After a while, they develop a linear form of thinking. Things get ignored if they don't stand out right away or are not the result of a good digging through the facts." Zerrich adjusted against the boulder, wincing a bit. "Sometimes fresh eyes see that which is overlooked. I'm new. I've been examining the city with a closer eye than you might, bearing in mind how long you've been here."

"How did Chang get that scroll if you didn't give it to him?"

The other looked down at the ground in front of him. "That…may have still been my fault."

Raven mentally rolled her eyes. She dared not do it for real. The vertigo was only beginning to fade off. "Start explaining."

"I don't remember much. At one point, memories began to blur. My mindset was a mess. I knew it was towards the end of the effect—I'd already used it to gain a good amount of knowledge while I was here." Zerrich sighed. His breathing was not as labored as before, but his voice was tired. "It was the seventh time I had read from a Rontizma scroll. It was after I arrived."

"Seventh?" Raven wanted to make sure she'd heard right. "You read the scrolls _seven_ times total? How long in between?"

"They were close enough. My mind…just couldn't handle the effect of each one in such a close time frame. At least the madness wasn't permanent."

"I'd argue that point," Raven muttered.

"I came to somewhere out of the way, and the scrolls were missing. I didn't know where they had gone…where I'd left them."

Raven wasn't sure if she could believe it. In fact, it was taking her quite the effort not to call Zerrich a liar straight out. "So," she began. "You overdosed on intelligence. That's…definitely a new one, even for me."

"I'd heard the warnings about the scrolls," Zerrich continued. "I didn't think the madness would take so quickly."

"You see why I don't believe someone from the temple gave you those scrolls? They're so easily misused. The Elders would have seen what would happen to you before even you did. They wouldn't have allowed it."

Zerrich took a breath. "There are the rules, and then there are the people that follow them. The people that enforce them. Sometimes there are debts involved…"

"You're about to tell me…what, someone from the temple owed you a favor? What could you have possibly done to earn that kind of gratitude? You didn't get just one scroll, but _two_."

Zerrich looked at Raven. "It was a big favor."

Raven shook her head, immediately regretting it. She took a moment to let the dizziness clear away. "I want you to level with me. I'm not interested in riddles and half-answers. What are you doing here?"

"I told you," Zerrich said, "I'm curious of who you are. And I know you won't simply be open with me when you keep so closed off even to those that know you best."

He was doing it again. He was speaking of knowledge he really shouldn't have possessed. Granted, not all of her life was a secret on Azarath. His knowledge of her history and origin could be discovered with digging. This, however, was different. This was her persona he was referring to. She decided not to play around with him. "How do you know these things?"

Zerrich reached into his pocket under his vest, pulling out the scroll with his left hand. He played it back and forth in his fingers. "Blame it on this if you wish."

Raven watched the scroll intently, as if the blank parchment wrapped within could still tell all its secrets. All _her_ secrets. "Body language. Facial expressions. Tone of voice. While you were watching me from the shadows…"

"You're an open book," Zerrich finished. "If you know how to read the language."

"Or something magically grants you the wisdom in the first place."

"Have to start somewhere," Zerrich finished, "and someway."

"How long have you…" Raven looked at Zerrich, not finishing the answer.

Zerrich sighed. "Almost two months now."

Zerrich steadied the scroll in his hand. After a moment, he offered it to Raven. She didn't take it right away. "You're…giving this to me? No fights?"

"It's used, right now. I have no need of it. Plus, if I can lose the damned things, then perhaps I shouldn't be in possession of them right now."

Raven still paused a moment before taking the offered scroll. "And if you can lose your mind. That's what I was getting at before," she said.

Zerrich said nothing. Instead, he moved his right arm slightly. He winced as he tried to bring it up and fold it across his stomach. His left arm lightly grasped at the part under his right elbow. Raven reached out with her mind to the limb, trying to sense past the skin. There was that slight block she had sensed in him before. The thing that prevented her from reading his thoughts. It was thinner this time, however, and the secrets underneath didn't remain such for long.

"It's broken," she said.

"Ribs too, I think," Zerrich said, cradling the arm with his left hand. "Somehow I feel I got off lucky."

"You're probably right," Raven deadpanned. "You're still in bad shape."

"I'll recover," Zerrich responded. "Nothing a few healing techniques and a resting trance won't fix up."

"It'll still be a few weeks before that arm restores fully."

Zerrich cocked his head at Raven. "Weeks? Are you insulting my healing abilities?"

"Even I can't heal broken bones that quickly."

The man stood up, moving almost like an old man. "It's all about specializing." He began to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Raven's tone increased as she tried to get up as well. The ground seemed to rush away from her, then back, then away again. Raven's vertigo hadn't gone anywhere; it had simply been resting along with her.

"Still plan on taking me to jail?" Zerrich queried. "Everything I said to you was true whether you believe it or not."

Raven took two steps forward. "I'm going to talk with the others. I have to. They have every right to know."

Zerrich didn't answer right away. "You'll do what you must," he finally said. His left hand went out just in front of him. The shadows at his feet turned a blue shade, taking their time to form before swallowing him down. He sank slowly into the ground until he was gone. Raven didn't even bother trying to track him. This night was done. She gave herself the time needed to recover enough energy to get home. Then, she did just that.

-

* * *

-

A few drops of water quietly plinked against the drain of the sink after Raven turned off the tap. She looked back at the mirror in the main bathroom of the Tower. Her face was swollen, but it didn't look as bad as it had felt. A dark bruise took up a good amount of her right side just behind the cheek. Her body was sore, mostly on her left side when she'd fallen. Her upper left arm and shoulder ached, making it painful to raise it too much. She had tended to the scratches on her legs, but the bruises that spotted her left thigh would need the night to fix.

Grateful she had no broken bones, she slowly walked her way out of the bathroom and into the hall. She levitated to the ceiling, traveled through a mass of black and surfaced on the level above. Her room was a few doors down. The only thing she wanted to do was get in bed, calm her nerves and begin a much-needed healing trance. In the morning, she would talk to the team about Zerrich. She wasn't looking forward to it, especially having to explain why she lied. Why _had _she lied? For what purpose? A selfish need to understand what Zerrich had wanted?

No, that answer was much simpler. At first, sure, it was curiosity. That was all heightened when she found out Zerrich was from Azarath. When she thought he had something to do with Chang and the base, she was furious. Zerrich had betrayed her and her friends, and all because of her foolish curiosity. That was humiliating enough. She lied to keep the team out of it. She wanted to take care of it herself. That action entailed only vengeance. Raven had always been careful not to tread into that territory before.

_Until now._

Raven entered her room, went to her trunk and opened it. She took the second Rontizma scroll in her hand and placed it next to the first, closing the trunk after them. She removed her cloak and let it sink to the floor with little care. It was a slow and somewhat painful process rolling into bed, and she was still getting a slight feeling of dizziness from the roll itself. She gave herself a few moments, enjoying the chance to finally relax. After a handful of seconds of quiet chanting, Raven's body began to levitate of its own accord. Her eyes closed, and reality went away until sunrise.

-

* * *

-

Raven came out of her trance in much better condition then she went in. Her body had recovered significantly, though she felt drained. She got out of bed, meditated, showered and finally headed to the living room. The only real discoloration in her skin that she noticed was the light bruise behind her cheek and the larger bruise on her thigh. The facial blemish seemed more an unnatural shadow against the sterile light of the fluorescent lamp above the mirror in the bathroom. Out in the daylight, however, it would be too obvious. That problem was resolved by simply wearing her hood up. It was still something she did indoors commonly enough, though she had taken to leaving it down more often. As for the bruise on her thigh, the cloak hid that all on its own.

Walking the halls to the living room seemed to take longer given what she had to say to everyone. There would be a lot of questions. Raven hated questions. She couldn't place blame anywhere else. She had created this situation. From the very beginning, Raven understood she would have to confess. She just wished she hadn't let it all build up first. Walking into the living room, Raven could only immediately spot Robin and Beast Boy at the breakfast table. She made her way to the two of them, looking mostly at Robin.

She opened her mouth to speak, when the main door slid open. Cyborg walked in with papers in hand. "Security reports just came back through. They got all the information on that mountain base Raven found."

Robin looked up from his breakfast. "Let's hear it."

"Well, for starters, the base looks like it was built a while ago. Most of it matches Slade-style construction, but a lot of it had add-ons everywhere. Like those containers we saw."

"They find out what they were for?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Cyborg answered. "Xenothium storage."

"What?" Beast Boy exclaimed, putting his soymilk back on the table. "Dude! There were, like, how many containers in that room? And they were huge!"

"Yup," Cyborg said. "Some of the computer files had locked-down hard copies. Not all of them survived the blast, but the ones that were recovered showed plans to some new heavy weapon. We're talkin' the 'world-wide domination' kind. Some of the hangar areas had pieces of the thing already made. Good news is Chang hadn't actually gotten around to gettin' it assembled."

"Looks like we caught it in time afterall," Robin said.

"There was more," Cyborg added. "Some other files were recovered from the base computers. Detectives couldn't figure out the transcripts, but they had a picture in the database to go along with them." Cyborg handed a few of the pages to Raven. She didn't immediately take them, until she noticed the black and white picture printed on the first page.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Looks like that scroll Raven found off Chang," Cyborg answered.

Raven took the pages. The picture was definitely of the scroll. The pictograms on the page were Azarath markings, but there were far more than could exist on the scroll, even with the spell unread. More importantly, not all of them talked of the scroll. They weren't specific, but it was very clear that some of the Azarath texts were in an Earth-style legend format. A translator. The only problem was, the legend wasn't complete.

"Is there any more?" Raven asked, flipping through the paper in her hand. The rest of the pages were nothing but notes and findings of the detectives. Only the first page contained any pictures of Azarath text.

"That was all they could come up with," Cyborg said.

"The translation's not complete," Raven said. "It's as if someone had almost finished with it and stopped."

"So, turns out you were right."

Raven looked up at Cyborg, confused. "Right?"

"You and Robin, about the scroll. The recovery team found some incomplete ghost files still imprinted on the main computer. They were made by Chang. That stuff on the scroll predates Chang's entries."

"So the scroll was already kinda translated before Chang came along," Beast Boy finished, looking at Raven, "just like you said."

Robin only nodded grimly. "It must have been Slade. Everything we said about Slade translating the scroll, Chang using it…for the most part we've been able to confirm that. Chang almost took over everything."

Cyborg walked over to Raven, putting a hand on her left shoulder. She was grateful it had healed over in the night. "And you stopped him. Well, I mean okay…the team stopped him, really…"

"Yeah," Beast Boy chimed in, "but Raven found the base in the first place. Way to kick some underground butt!"

Robin smiled, getting up from his seat and standing next to Raven. "Looks like those late nights you ventured out paid off. Sorry I gave you a hassle about it the other day."

Raven found herself openly staring at Robin and the team under her hood. She couldn't bring an answer to her lips. Instead, she turned from the table and walked away, caring little for the possible reactions of the team. She started walking back down the hall to her room, realizing late that she still held the report papers in her hand. As Raven turned a corner, she saw Starfire on the other side. The girls stopped walking a few feet away and simply looked at each other in the hall. Starfire had a mixed look of anxious sadness, as if she were waiting for Raven to say something. She was still waiting for Raven's explanation.

Raven looked away and kept walking, giving Starfire no answer at all. Raven was too busy thinking about the scroll. She had lied when she suggested Slade had taken the scroll during the raid on the Tower six months ago. She never had a Rontizma scroll to take, but somehow Slade had actually gotten his hands on one just the same. Raven had assumed it was Zerrich that had given Chang the scroll. The paperwork in her hand showed evidence that the scroll had been under study. If the scroll had neededstudying--evident by an incomplete legend--it meant that Zerrich hadn't given Chang _or_ Slade the scroll after all. It meant that he hadn't shown either of them how to use it.

It meant that, if only for that one fact, Zerrich had been telling the truth.


	6. Too Many Secrets

**VI**

**Too Many Secrets**

The boys at the table all knew that, even for Raven, her sudden leave wasn't right. Robin, of the three, was the only one without a puzzled look on his face.

"What was that all about?" Beast Boy asked. "Suddenly she's not interested in congrats anymore?"

"Somethin' struck a nerve, maybe?" Cyborg tried answering the question.

Robin grimaced, knowing there was more to it. "I'll talk to her," he finally said, walking down the hall after her. It wasn't long before he ran into Starfire. She was standing with her back turned to him, looking down the other end of the hall.

Robin put a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Did she say anything?"

Starfire sighed. "No, she did not. She simply continued walking." She finally turned around. "Robin, there is something happening with Raven that she will not confess to. I am worried for her."

"Do you have any idea what?" Robin queried.

Starfire gave Robin an anxious look he didn't recognize. "Perhaps it is best you speak with Raven," she finally answered, lowering her head slightly before continuing, "for she will not speak with me."

Robin nodded, squeezing Starfire's shoulder reassuringly. He then continued down the hall to Raven's room. He knocked quietly on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, asking for her by name. He gave it another moment before raising his hand to the door again, but this time it opened just slightly. The left half of Raven's face peered out at Robin.

"Is everything okay?" Robin asked. "You seemed a little spooked."

She didn't answer right away. Robin saw into that immediately: she always had a quick, one-word answer before shutting the door on someone if she wanted to be left alone. Her expression remained neutral, but Robin could see something there in her face that was different. He couldn't read it, but it had his attention.

"I'm fine," she finally answered, letting the door slide closed.

"No," Robin responded through the closed door, "you're not. What's going on with you?"

No answer.

"Raven, we're a team. If there's something wrong, you need to talk to us."

No answer. Robin stayed in front of the door for the longest time, hoping she'd open it for him. When it didn't happen, he finally walked back down the hall. He wasn't done with the issue, but Robin would simply have to confront her at another time. As he approached the corner turn, Robin heard the door open again. He stopped, not turning around immediately. He heard the door close, but he couldn't be certain if Raven had actually left her room or not. She was always quiet like that, even against Robin's trained senses sometimes. He turned around, and Raven was standing in the hallway in front of her door.

"It's…" Raven started. She struggled for what to say. It only added to Robin's concern; she was not often at a loss for words.

"Go on," Robin quietly encouraged.

Raven walked forward, slowly. "You're right. There's something I need to address to the team." She stopped in front of Robin, looking straight into his eyes. "You all have a right to know."

-

* * *

-

Raven sat there in front of the lounge with the rest of her team arranged on the couch. They had all listened intently to what she told them. She told them of the night they had captured that up-and-coming kid criminal with a freeze device he barely knew how to use. She recounted when she told everyone she wanted to walk home on her own. She explained about the odd aura she was sensing at the time, how she tracked it to a small park, how she turned and fired at a man in the shadows and how a quick fight had ensued before she stopped attacking. Siren wails had sounded in the distance, and the man had left shortly after.

Raven continued about a second encounter the following day, one she walked into on her own while tracking the same sense in the night. This time, it was an old building abandoned in the warehouse district. Though it had started with some talking, there had been another fight that had concluded with both sides wearing each other down. The two had known while one waited to gain back their strength, so would the other. They parted without so much as another word.

Then, Raven talked of the third meeting, about how they were able to speak without fighting. She told them that his name was Zerrich, and that he was from Azarath. She explained that Zerrich had been responsible for showing Raven the entrance to the hill. The conversation turned to the events in the base, and she had no choice but to explain that she had lied and told everyone how she had implied Chang somehow finding the scroll from Slade. She told them of her beliefs of Zerrich's involvement, the confrontation between them, and what he had said about losing the scrolls. She hadn't believed him until Cyborg came in with his report earlier.

Surprisingly, not a soul had interrupted her once throughout the telling. Even Beast Boy had kept quiet. They all had kept eerily quiet. Cyborg was looking at the floor intently, processing everything Raven had said. Starfire sat on one side of the couch, her hands tucked between her knees as she listened. She had kept her head low while Raven had spoken. Robin had his masked eyes looking at her intensely, his arms folded across his chest as he sat. She knew he didn't approve.

Beast Boy seemed to take it a bit more personal. His eyes indicated he was somewhat hurt. He finally looked up at Raven. "You…I mean, I thought we were a team?"

Raven's head came up slightly, her eyes staying on Beast Boy. "I know. And if I'd told you about him, and then told you to let me handle this alone...would you?"

Beast Boy took in Raven's words. "Probably not," he finally said. His eyes seemed to relax more, though he was still troubled. Beast Boy was like that. All the clowning around, and when things got serious Beast Boy's concern switched on almost as powerfully as Starfire's. He cared about the team. They all did. It was one of the reasons she'd left them in the dark.

"That's not the point," Robin said, his voice stern. "Beast Boy's right. We're a team. Whether Zerrich was your sole responsibility or not wasn't your decision to make."

Raven looked back at Robin, though she kept her face neutral. "Would you have made the decision to let me handle it?"

Robin kept his eyes locked on Raven's. "You shouldn't have closed out the team. He's already in the city. What he does or might do is on us. All of us. Was it right for you to own that responsibility?"

Raven didn't answer. She didn't need to. Robin was right. For that while, when she thought Zerrich really had set them up, not telling the team meant keeping them from preventing consequences the entire city would blame them for regardless. It was the team's duty to keep Jump City safe.

She looked at Robin and remembered his obsessions with Slade. She remembered how the team tried to talk him back to reality, even as recently as two months ago. He'd finally put it behind him. Raven, in turn, had been staring down that same path. Granted, she was not given nearly the same time to dwell on her situation as Robin. In the end when she still thought Zerrich lied before Cyborg's findings proved otherwise, Raven was willing to take it to the team. Even if it meant their involvement would drive Zerrich away.

Still, now that they knew, would she still make Zerrich a priority in her mind? She was just as capable of fixating on one person as anyone.

"It should never have gotten this far, Raven," Robin finally said. "You should have come to us sooner."

Raven let her eyes drop, though her head didn't move. "I know."

The team was silent. Maybe they were expecting her to fight back, to be defensive. Raven didn't have it in her at the moment. Somewhere in her mind came a thought. The scroll found off of Chang had indeed been in Slade's computer database. It meant that Slade had found the first scroll. If the museum scroll still blank from use was any indication, that being the particular one Zerrich had read last, then both scrolls had been lost within the last two months. Slade had been in the city recently. It coincided with Robin's outside-triggered hallucination. A new question emerged. What made him abandon his base for Chang to find?

Her eyes looked up at Robin, who had been saying something to her. She hadn't been paying attention. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just thinking. Slade's been in the city recently. _After_ he supposedly fell into that pit of lava. Zerrich hadn't been around then. The museum scroll was a blank too, and he'd lost them both at the same time."

Robin put his head down. She could tell he was frustrated with her for not listening, but he was digesting what she'd said. "So, Slade was here two months ago. At least. That's how long you said it takes for these scrolls to activate again?"

"It's around the time you hallucinated, too," Cyborg added. Robin clearly didn't like being reminded of it. "Rob…we never told you, but…"

Robin looked over at Cyborg. "The mask was triggered remotely. I kinda figured it out. That wasn't the first time I handled that mask, but it was the first time it ever messed with my mind."

"So," Beast Boy said, "we're switching from this Zerrich guy back to…Slade again."

Robin shook his head. "There might still be a connection. We have to be careful."

Raven didn't argue the point. Though she had her doubts with Zerrich being connected with Slade, things were still way up in the air.

"Do you feel this Zerrich to be connected with Slade?" Starfire asked Raven.

"It's hard to say," Raven answered. "There really isn't proof of it."

Starfire nodded. "Yet…you are still wary of him."

Raven looked up at Starfire. "He's from Azarath. My home. I'm wary of anything from home that doesn't come from the usual mold."

Cyborg chimed in. "We might want to look into seeing if we can't find anymore proof one way or the other on what's goin' down with Slade and this new guy. I'll talk to the inspectors and see what else we can find down at the base."

"I can double over the findings if you need me to," Robin volunteered.

"Thanks, Rob," Cyborg answered. "But you'll have to be quiet about it. You know how the Commissioner gets when you start one-uppin' his people."

"I don't really care," Robin said. "We need to find out what's going on. That's what's important."

"Hell yeah," Beast Boy added. "Why else are we in this city?"

The rest of the conversation discussed either where Slade might have come into things or what details Raven hadn't clarified on Zerrich and whatever she'd seen or talked to him about. After it was agreed that they were done, the team stood up and went to wherever they chose. Raven made her way back to her room. As she got to her door, she could feel a presence from the far corner.

"What?" she asked, quietly.

Robin walked towards Raven. He stopped when he was close enough, keeping his masked gaze on her. "I just don't get it. What's gotten into you?"

"Look," Raven countered, not looking back at Robin, "if you're going to keep hammering the point that I shouldn't have kept this secret from the team—"

"Raven, this was big. You've kept to yourself about your life before, and you've kept your privacy just that. But you've never lied to the team about something that had the potential to affect all of us. I'm disappointed in you. You're better than that."

"I slipped up. What else do you want me to tell you?"

"I'm not buying it," Robin shook his head. "I can't believe you'd do this on accident. What were you thinking? What's going on inside your head?"

Raven looked up, narrowing her eyes. "You really think you want to know what goes on in my head?"

"It would sure help me understand what's happening with you."

"You couldn't begin to understand," Raven said, turning for her room.

"Then help me understand," Robin countered. "We have a bond, remember? You've been inside my mind."

"So you suddenly want inside mine?" Raven deadpanned. "You want to travel around in my brain now?"

"I think I've already been," Robin answered.

Raven kept her face steady, but the last statement bothered her. What did he mean, _already been?_

"Like, right now," Robin continued, "that face you're making. It looks like the same straight face you always give. Before, it looked like the same old Raven. I could only assume there was more there. A mask I could never see past. Now…I think I see_ into_ it."

"You…think?" Raven asked.

"Raven, all those calm and straight faces you give…" Robin struggled with what he wanted to say. "When I see your expressions, they don't just look like plain masks. I can see something in your face, now. Something I couldn't see before. But, I can't always decipher it."

Raven looked away from Robin a moment. She thought back to that time trapped in the infirmary, digging through Robin's thoughts in the hopes of finding his perceptions of Slade to be false. "Sometimes, when delving into a person's mind, the subject keeps a sense of the spell caster—an imprint. It can be anything, such as emotions, memories, even insight into the caster's health."

Robin nodded. "I think I touched your mind while you were in my head. I don't know about memories or emotions, but right now I can tell that you aren't okay. I can get this sense from you that there's more to all this and that you're keeping it inside. I know it's your nature to be defensive, but maybe you keep us out because you're afraid we couldn't understand. Please, help me to understand. That's all I'm asking."

Raven stopped, turning her head in Robin's direction without looking at him. "I don't think you'd be ready for that."

"Okay, fine. Not all at once. But give me something. I know something's been bothering you lately. I don't know if it's connected with Zerrich. Maybe it's more than all this. Maybe it's not." Robin walked over to Raven, putting an arm on her shoulder. "I don't think you can keep this to yourself. If this could end up concerning us in the future, you need to say something."

It was a long moment before Raven finally nodded once. She really didn't know if what she was feeling would later concern her teammates, but at this point she had nothing to lose. There was no real reason in keeping it to herself except for humility. Right now, that didn't seem so important.

"The past few days, I've been sensing…feeling something. Some new irritation in my mind. Dealing with it is just like dealing with any of my emotions. But this one takes microscopic bites at the back of my neck. I feel flustered in the mornings. I feel it a lot more than I normally do. In the recent evenings it comes on strong enough that I'm forced to meditate again. That's never been routine, disregarding small…annoyances from the team once in a while.

"And then, there was Zerrich. At first, I thought he was the cause. Now, I just think there's a connection. I felt like he held my answers, whether he was aware or not. I didn't want to cause him to disappear. I needed to know what was going on. I don't even know what the connection might be. I kept asking myself, where is this feeling coming from? Is it a premonition? A warning?"

"A warning about what?"

Raven looked quickly at Robin. She realized she wasn't ready to tell him about her past just yet. About her history.

About her future…

"I'm not sure I can go into that right now."

"Raven, if it's important…"

Raven looked at Robin directly. "You said that not all at once was okay."

Robin wanted to say more, but he sighed instead. "All right. I'm going to go down to the police station with Cyborg. But I want to continue this again. I don't care if it's just us."

Raven simply looked to the floor. There was far too much going on, and she wasn't even sure everything she had considered was related. Raven didn't say another word. She simply turned around and walked inside her quarters. Robin didn't stop her.

-

* * *

-

It had been five days since the discussion with the team. In those five days, the irritant in Raven's mind remained steady. Each morning she would meditate that extra amount of time needed to keep her focus, only to have to do a second meditation later in the day. The second time took nowhere near as long as the morning routine, but it was disrupting nonetheless.

Raven finished her dinner and got up from the sofa. The boys had come back with fried chicken and a large side of coleslaw and mashed potatoes for Beast Boy. Raven made no ceremony of putting her dirty dish and utensils in the sink and going back to her room. The city's activity for the past week had stayed normal, with two minor burglaries on back-to-back days and another run-in with Fang just that afternoon. The spider hybrid had gotten away, but not before the Titans had been able to retrieve the property he had stolen.

Raven walked down the hall and entered her room, letting the door slide closed behind her. As she had surmised, there had been no sign of Zerrich from anywhere in the city since their last encounter on the embankment. It had been Raven's hope that he would surface somewhere. She'd finally settled her mind around the possibility that he would abandon whatever task he'd set out for. It didn't sit well with her, but there was nothing she could do about it. Raven could only hope that there was no connection with Zerrich and the irritating sense in her mind. If there was, she might not ever find her answers now. Raven hoped those answers weren't as important as she thought they were.

Raven reached for a book on one of her shelf cases when the room lights went red. The warning klaxon sounded, followed by Robin's voice over the intercom.

"Titans, move!"

Raven quickly dissolved through the floor and made her way to the garage.

_Sounds like things aren't going to turn out quiet tonight after all._

_-

* * *

_

_- _

(note: I'd like to mention that this story takes place after season 3 but before season 4. I won't be intermixing whole episodes from season 4 into this story's continuity as a result, but I decided some of the issues touched on—like Robin's mental bond with Raven—needed to be addressed. Therefore, I moved the discussion ahead a little. Which is really just one line in this case.)


	7. How Far Down the Rabbit Hole

**VII**

**How Far Down the Rabbit Hole**

The T-Car came to a quiet halt in front of the target building. The place was a small personal business centered on hardware retail. The lights were out for the evening, and all was quiet. The team exited the car, all looking relatively surprised at their destination.

"Uh," Cyborg started, "the reports I got said there was some kinda break-in? I don't see any broken windows."

"Beast Boy, Starfire, check around back," Robin ordered. "Raven, go in and see if you can't unlock the front door."

Raven floated over towards the front of the building. A swirl of black plastered across the large display window, and Raven traversed to the other side. She quickly made her way to the front door.

"It's a double-sided lock," Raven said, the sound of her voice coming through the glass door's mail slot. "There's just the silent alarm, otherwise. Give me a second."

Raven's eyes began to glow, and black energy surrounded an electric box on the inside corner of the door. At the same time, a quick flash of black raced through the bolt lock, and the mechanism turned with ease. The door opened, shaking the bells dressed on the top. Cyborg's shoulder lamp came on and scanned across the store.

Robin pulled out his communicator and flicked it on. "Anything, Beast Boy?"

"_Nah_," Beast Boy said, "_the door's locked. Nobody broke in from this side._"

Robin's face remained grim. _This doesn't make any sense._

"_Perhaps we have been the victims of a fraudulent call,_" Starfire volunteered over Beast Boy's shoulder.

"I don't know," Robin answered. "Scope out the back for anything that looks suspicious. We'll keep looking around in here."

"Cash registers look intact," Raven reported to Robin as he put his communicator away.

"Everything looks in place, Rob," Cyborg corroborated. "No sign of a break-in anywhere."

Robin scowled. "Great. What a waste of time." He walked up to where Cyborg was standing. "Let's just check in the back to be sure, then we'll head home."

The three made their way into the back room. Cyborg walked in first, letting his lamp shine around the place. Robin found the switch on the other side of the wall and flicked it on. Everything seemed in place in the back as well. It looked like a makeshift office room for the owner. Robin gave a good look around, found nothing and began to walk back out.

"Whuh-oh," Cyborg started. "That ain't right."

Robin turned around. "What?"

"This wall," Cyborg said, his hand against the far wall. "It feels solid. Everything else is drywall, but this is metal."

"Could it be the back of the building?" Raven asked.

"Might be," Cyborg answered. "But the foundation isn't steel except for some rebar."

Robin immediately looked around the room again. On a hunch, he peered under the desk. Sliding the computer keyboard tray out of the way, Robin found what he was looking for. A small panel with a key lock at its center.

"Raven, can you pick this one, too?"

Raven walked to the table and kneeled to take a peek. Her eyes glowed as a black orb formed undeneath. There was a soft click from the lock, and a button panel flipped open at the wall near Cyborg. The hybrid Titan pressed it, and the entire back wall split open just enough for someone to walk through.

"Maybe not so much a break in as someone comin' in after hours," Cyborg smirked.

Robin pulled his communicator back out. "Beast Boy, Starfire, come around front. Raven will let you in." He clicked it off and nodded at Raven. The girl floated out of the office. "Let's check this out," Robin said to Cyborg.

-

* * *

-

Raven lead Starfire and Beast Boy to the back of the hardware store after locking the door behind them. They quickly went through the open wall and started down the stairs, Raven first followed by Beast Boy, then Starfire.

"Followin' the rabbit down the rabbit hole," Beast Boy sang quietly to himself.

Raven, understanding the joke, spun around quickly. "Don't do that," she warned, a finger quickly in Beast Boy's face. "I'm not kidding."

Beast Boy smiled nervously, waving his hands innocently in front of him. Raven turned back around as she shook her head, and the three followed the stairs to where they would lead. They joined up with Robin and Cyborg, and Raven took a look around. The stairs had lead into the sewer.

"Nice," Raven deadpanned.

"Cyborg," Robin said, "can you scan for foot prints?"

"Fresh ones from the stairs to here," Cyborg answered, looking at the scan readout on his arm. "Then they just stop."

"Probably lead into the water part," Beast Boy added.

Robin shook his head. "If they came down here recently and walked through the drainage, there'd be splashed cement from the wake. Everything's dry just above the water line."

Raven suppressed a reaction, keeping her face steady. "Unless they could levitate."

The team didn't say a thing for a moment. Robin turned his head. "Beast Boy, sniff them out."

Beast Boy saluted and morphed into a dog. He began sniffing the sidewalk of the sewer before turning towards the water. Then, his nose turned up to the air. He started trotting down the left-most path, and the team followed behind. They traveled a good two miles under the city until Beast Boy finally stopped, morphing back to humanoid form.

"It just stops right here."

Raven and the team looked around, then up. There was a sewer manhole directly above them. "I'll take a look," Raven volunteered.

"Be careful," Robin cautioned.

Raven floated up to the manhole, lifting it with her mind before peeking outside. The first strange thing she noted was that it didn't open into a street. It was very dark, walls on all sides and the night sky coming in from windows higher up. She lifted the manhole completely off.

"Clear," Raven sounded below her. She floated up and onto the surface and looked around. The structure looked to be the inside of a warehouse. It was bare, but by no means run-down. The team came up one by one behind her. "Where is this?"

Cyborg checked the map readout on his arm. "I know where we are. We're in that network of warehouses from last year's project."

"Then we're about two miles from the docks," Robin said.

Raven looked the building over again. Pristine condition, completely empty, never used. Jump City had funded for a storage project in anticipation of heavy international trade. The network of warehouses in the area was designed to store anything and everything from perishable items to modern and antique furniture. Trading didn't peak as the city had hoped, but the local government kept funding the project regardless. Roughly thirty percent of the built warehouses were actually in use. The rest were kept clean and at the ready in case trading picked up. In Raven's opinion, it was a total waste of tax dollars. _Good thing I'm not paying taxes yet…_

The warehouses were also connected with a series of catwalks, the links meant to make traveling easier. Beast Boy turned back into his dog form and ran up the stairs to the catwalk above. Again, the team followed. After traveling through a series of empty buildings, Raven placed a hand on Beast Boy's head. He morphed back, and she looked to him and the team.

"Wait here," she said. She floated across the catwalk to the next warehouse and peered down to the floor level. This particular warehouse boasted a huge slide-away false concrete floor. The sound of heavy concrete sliding across the ground rumbled loudly as it opened. The blue energy surrounding its edges crackled and danced as a man just under the catwalk held his arms out towards it, manipulating the large sliding trapdoor. Raven wasted no time flying over the catwalk edge, practically free-falling to the ground. She flipped around until her feet were under her, letting her cloak billow above and away from her body. She lightly touched down in front of Zerrich with practiced finesse. Her eyes glowed as she grimaced at him.

"You really should have stayed away," she warned. Raven reached one hand out behind her, and the entire slab of floor turned black and slammed shut again faster than it had opened. "You know, I almost dismissed you in all this."

"At the risk of sounding cliché," Zerrich said, "you're making the worst mistake."

"I told you I would take you to jail," Raven responded.

"Damn it, what are you doing?" Zerrich questioned. "We're really going for a fourth skirmish? I don't have time to waste my energy with you."

"Looks like you don't got a choice," came Cyborg's deep voice from over Raven's head. She watched as Zerrich peered up at the above walking tier, knowing her full team was there.

The man looked back to Raven. "Let me reiterate," he said, "the _worst_ mistake…"

"Titans, go!" came Robin's cry. Raven unleashed a stream of black energy, and Zerrich made a fast leap out of its way. He twisted in the air and dodged a pair of starbolts, twisting back the other direction to avoid a sonic blast. He flew into the nearest wall, turning to plant his feet ahead of him. He made contact and launched away before another set of starbolts could strike him. He sent two of his own blasts of energy in separate directions. Robin dodged the one coming for him, while Beast Boy morphed into a small bird and avoiding the second burst. He fired two more blasts at Cyborg, forcing the Titan to leap out of the way.

Raven fired a second stream of soul self at the landing Zerrich, with Starfire and Cyborg firing almost in unison from their positions. Zerrich quickly put up a full wall of blue energy to deflect everything coming in his direction. Beast Boy converted into a rhino, making a full charge at the field. He slammed into it, causing the warehouse to rumble from the impact. The field dropped, Beast Boy charged through and Zerrich flew over him to the other side of the building. A volley of blue orbs forced Raven to relocate. Before she could counterattack against the grounded opponent, a series of explosions on Zerrich's right forced the man to tumble sideways. He regained his footing in time to put up a quick dome to block more starbolts, dropping it long enough to send three blasts of energy at the diving Starfire. The last of the three tagged her heel, causing the Tamaranian girl to veer away from Zerrich's position. Robin ran to Raven's side, pulling out three explosive discs.

"His defenses are solid," Robin yelled over the noise of combat.

"He's weakening. We're overwhelming him. He keeps trying for the trapdoor."

"We need to speed this along." Robin responded, still watching the attack. "We gotta keep him pinned in that corner. His fighting style's…"

A sweep attack of multiple blasts forced Robin and Raven to cut off their conversation as both Titans dove in opposite directions. Robin recovered; throwing his explosive discs while Raven flew up into the air. She turned and darted towards Robin, keeping with him as he ran.

"We need Starfire, Cyborg and myself to keep up ranged attacks," Raven called out. "When we break his defenses down, you and Beast Boy get in close. He's weak at hand-to-hand."

Robin simply nodded, skid to a halt and pulled out his grapple hook. The device fired and clamped onto the ceiling, allowing Robin to swing out of the way of another attack. Raven watched as he ordered Cyborg to keep firing while in mid-swing, launched off the far wall, then swung back towards Starfire and Beast Boy. Raven opened up with a new stream of energy, Cyborg's attack not far behind. Zerrich's protective dome went up, and Starfire's eyebeams sprayed against the far side. Another set of explosive charges from Robin's throw blasted against Zerrich's defenses, and smoke drifted across its blue surface.

The top of the dome burst open, and Zerrich jumped clear from his protection. The blue dome collapsed towards the center down before dissolving, and a twisting Zerrich let loose a volley of blue orbs at all three attackers. The team scrambled to avoid the attack. Raven spread a streak of black in front of her, deflecting two shots before they could hit her. She rolled up the energy into a concentrated ball of soul self and threw it at the hovering Zerrich. The man formed a small shield around his right arm, batting the blast away. A millisecond later, Starfire's eyebeams caught Zerrich across the back. He fell, rolled his feet forward on descent, and then slowed his fall before making contact with the ground. He took three steps towards the trapdoor and was able to sneak off a blast of magic against a dodging Robin before being forced to put up another shield. Cyborg's strike caused Zerrich to stumble back slightly.

The attack pattern repeated several times with Zerrich putting up defenses, making short moves towards the trapdoor, then being forced away from it. Cyborg blasted at Zerrich from his front, and another blue dome appeared around him. The far side of the field dissolved, and Zerrich dove through it. He fired at both Robin and Beast Boy, rolled into a crouch, and built up a new barrier. Robin vaulted off the ground with his staff, avoiding the hit. Beast Boy had been standing by, waiting to make his move. The blast struck him in the gut, knocking him backwards and out of the fight.

Raven figured out his attacks, figured out what Zerrich knew. He was aiming for the close-range combatants. The other three Titans opened up again, causing Zerrich's domed barrier to warp inward by the attacks. An explosion from a last explosive disc smashed the magic barrier apart, and Robin dove into its center with his staff extended.

Raven held back as Robin went on offense. She couldn't risk tagging him. Plus, using her magic in an attempt to restrain Zerrich would have been met with a counter-spell. Starfire and Cyborg seemed to understand the possible danger as well and held off. Raven looked over to Beast Boy. He was getting up on one knee, recovering from the hit. She floated to him, checked him out. He gave her a quick nod that said he was okay. She looked back to the duel at hand. It was now up to Robin to take Zerrich down.

-

* * *

- 

Robin took a leaping overhead swing at Zerrich, landing just in front of him. A small barrier went up, flashing in bright blue upon impact with Robin's bo-staff. Crouching after he landed, Robin swept for Zerrich's feet with his right leg. Zerrich attempted to float out of the way but managed only to get his nearest foot clear. Robin caught the other boot and caused Zerrich to lose concentration and fall.

The man in blue vaulted off the ground with his hands before Robin could straighten out and finish his attack. Zerrich made an attempt for altitude inside the building, but his slow ascent only illustrated his weariness. The Boy Wonder grinned slightly as he ran after Zerrich, jumping for the wall and launching higher into the air with his staff extended. Before his opponent could get a field up, Robin caught him with a swing to the gut. Both fell to the ground, Robin rolling gracefully onto his feet. Zerrich grunted as he slammed down, rolling sluggishly to his right. As Zerrich tried to stand again, the Titan's leader made a full charge. Zerrich's attention was drawn, and a small field appeared in the space ahead of where Robin was swinging.

It was a feint. With practiced finesse, Robin's staff came up just short of the field, never touching. His body had slid into place so that he could stop on a dime then reverse his attack. His back leg picked up and swung around to Zerrich's opposite temple, knocking him down and sliding him across the ground. Zerrich stopped short of the back wall, and he was even slower attempting to get up this time. Still, he managed to stand.

_This guy's stubborn!_

"Give it up," Robin warned, his voice low and menacing.

"I can't afford to," Zerrich countered, his breath almost gone.

As Robin started another attack, Zerrich threw an underhanded pitch of blue energy. Robin took a leap to his right, and then saw a second blast hurtling just in front of where he would land. There was nothing to do sailing through mid air, and just as Robin's toes barely touched the floor the blast struck him in the chest. He grunted as he flew back, launching his staff relatively blind at Zerrich's position. The bo whirled through the air like a rotor blade, but Zerrich knocked it away with the blue energy encasing his right arm.

Robin landed on his back and performed a backwards roll while he grabbed at the side of his belt. His practice and experience with taking hits kept the wind from being knocked out of him. Straightening out, Robin threw a small round object ahead of him. Again, Zerrich put up a small field, and the device connected. A rapid explosion emitted a full cloud of smoke, and Zerrich began coughing. Robin ran into the smokescreen, listening for the noise and following it. When his senses zeroed in on Zerrich, he let fly with his right fist.

The punch connected with Zerrich's face, causing him to rear backwards. The clacking of boots gave Robin another focal point, and the Boy Wonder ran into a leap attack. His feet slammed into Zerrich's chest, kicking him clear of the smokescreen and into the far wall. Robin was quick to follow as he pierced through the smoke, pulled his right arm back to let loose with one final blow. The punch landed against Zerrich's stomach, and the man grunted one last time before slumping to the ground.

"It's over, Zerrich," Robin said, calling him by the name Raven had given. Zerrich stirred slightly, though he didn't get up.

It was then, before Robin could properly restrain their foe, that the trapdoor behind him suddenly began to open. Robin turned to look behind him, forgetting Zerrich for a moment. A monstrous, mechanical limb peered out on its own through the partial opening in the floor. The arm released a red beam of energy from its tip that destroyed the metal stairs leading to the catwalks, and the Titans scattered. The rest of the machine came out of the floor, and Robin recognized it as one of Slade's sentinel robots. Only this one seemed much larger, and when Cyborg's sonic cannon did little more than annoy the beast Robin knew it was better armored as well. The trapdoor slid closed again, and the Titans were already on the offensive.

"One of your friends here to bail you out?" Robin sneered back at Zerrich as he prepared to join in.

"Not…" Zerrich struggled to speak, "one of mine…"

Robin turned quickly back to Zerrich, only to find the man diving for him straight on. Robin couldn't avoid the attack, and both fighters collided and slammed into the ground with a loud boom. The two separated from the impact, and Robin grunted as he rolled on the floor a moment before stopping himself and getting on one knee. He shook his head hard, looked around for Zerrich…and found him to be nowhere nearby. He turned around to see if he was behind him, only to be greeted by the sight of a rather large hole in the building wall, directly behind where he'd just been. The boom hadn't been a trick of the senses from when the two of them had landed on the ground.

Now, Robin checked for Zerrich again, a different reason on his mind. The Titans were running their distraction pattern as they each took turns attempting to take the monster down. Robin shook his head again, got to his feet and made a dash for the back of the robot. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out a bird-a-rang and threw it for the back of the machine's neck. The weapon dug into the armor, causing the monster to rear back and turn towards whatever had attacked it. The limb with the cannon on it aimed for Robin's head.

A blast of black slammed into the robot's arm, kicking the beam clear of Robin's position. Robin still rolled to his left, tumbling back onto his feet. Just behind the robot, amidst all the Titans running or flying throughout the building, was Zerrich. He was standing directly over the trapdoor.

"Stop!" Robin shouted, but Zerrich had no intention of listening. He slowly drifted off his feet, falling lightly backwards against the trapdoor. Almost as softly as he fell, Zerrich passed directly through the heavy concrete slab in the floor. The blue energy in the shape of his person dissolved like some cloud in the sky.

Robin finally made his way closer to the team, the robot showing signs of wearing down. The leader spotted Raven staring at the floor from her hovering spot in the air. She looked to him for the go-ahead

"Don't let him get away!" Robin ordered to her. "The rest of us can take this guy!"

Robin watched as the girl nodded, then dove for the floor. She slipped quickly through the trapdoor in a flash of black energy.

-

* * *

-

Raven touched down at the bottom of a large cavern. The end behind her sloped up towards the trapdoor. Ahead of her, the cavern continued on. It was pitch black, except for the slight blue glow further down the tunnel. Raven was flying down the rocky corridor as quickly as she could, catching up to Zerrich's position.

"Give up!" Raven yelled, landing just behind him. His left arm was ahead of him, a dull blue glow surrounding his fist. She only later noticed his slow pace, his slightly hunched-over posture. Robin had done a number on him, but one thing caught her attention. He was leaning against the wall on his right arm. The one he'd broken five days earlier. She hadn't paid attention to it until she focused on his recent injuries. The entire fight, his arm had been just fine.

"You never seem to," he quipped. "You expect me to be different?"

"You aren't going to get away," she answered.

Zerrich stopped, straightened out and turned around. "I'm not _trying _to get away."

"I see. So, leaving the battle was mere coincidence."

"My choices were limited. I'm expected to drop my objectives to deal with you and your team? My quarrels were not with you to begin with, so I would rather you leave me be."

"You're too much a threat to the city to leave al-"

"_You_ attacked _me_," Zerrich interrupted her. "No questions, nothing. And I'm the threat?"

Raven didn't move. She didn't fight him, even though she could easily overpower him at this point. "All right. Why do you just happen to be one step ahead of us?"

Zerrich shook his head, turning back around. "Coincidence, I suppose. I honestly don't care."

Raven walked up to Zerrich, purposefully grabbing him by his right arm and turning him back around. He did wince, but the pain seemed to be closer linked with the turning of his waist. The arm seemed to resist. "Tell me where we are. What is this place?"

"You know, I'm trying to find that out, too," Zerrich responded, wrenching his arm from Raven's grip. "You really want to understand? Stop fighting me."

Raven watched as he continued on his own down the cavern. "Then I'll ask you an easy one. Why are you here?"

Zerrich sighed, wincing as he straightened up his left side more. "I have reason to believe that the man responsible for taking one of the scrolls is down here."

Raven's eyes widened. She looked to the back of Zerrich's head. "Slade?"

"I don't know his name. And I wouldn't be sure of his appearance. I tracked a man in a beige coat. Large hood over his head. Had quite the limp on his left. He walked into that equipment shop a day ago. I never witnessed him leaving, so I investigated."

Raven finally started walking to keep up with Zerrich. "You staked out a hardware store? What, on some whim?"

"I staked out the man," Zerrich corrected. "He passed by me on one of your quieter streets a couple of days ago. He had an off sense about him that grabbed at my attention."

"Could you tell what he was planning?"

Zerrich looked back, puzzled. "I'm not exactly psychic," he said dryly, looking back to the cavern. "I guess you'd call it gut instinct."

Raven paused for a step. Even though the comment was off-handed, she had wondered for some time if he was at least somewhat psychic. Her question was even geared around that thought. _Apparently he's not. Great, that's one question answered._

"Plus," Zerrich continued, "I'd gotten the feeling that he had looked back at me after passing. You tend to look over your shoulder in moments like those."

"What did you see?"

"No one. He had disappeared. For someone with a heavy limp, that also seemed odd."

"So, you followed him all this way."

"Just as you followed me, apparently," Zerrich added.

Raven shook her head. "You tripped a silent alarm. For someone who can blend in when out on the streets, you sure can mess up the little things." Raven kept walking with Zerrich, not sure where the tunnel would lead, or why she was following Zerrich against her better judgment. She supposed it was from the knowledge that she could have easily overpowered him at this point if she needed to. "And another thing," she began. "Why were you trying to move the trapdoor open earlier? Why didn't you just pass through to begin with?"

"Into some dark place underground I'd never been? I'm not so imprudent as to not wonder and be wary of what might come out of such places."

"You couldn't just l-"

"I understand you tend to ask more questions than you answer," Zerrich interrupted, his voice quieter, "but I think we're getting closer to something."

Raven tensed a moment, still open to the idea that it was a trap. Down the far end of the cavern, where the way became pitch black, a single red light blinked on. A moment later, loud clanking sounds echoed towards the two travelers in a footstep pattern.

"_It's_ the one getting closer!" Raven shouted, stepping out in front and erecting a black wall of energy. It was just in time, as the red light emitted a laser blast at both of them. The beam deflected into the top of the cavern, destroying rock and spraying it everywhere. The machine came out of the darkness and into Zerrich's blue glow of energy. It was another of Slade's sentinel drones.

"I can't believe there were two of these things," Zerrich growled.

"I couldn't believe there was only one earlier," Raven retorted.

The robot drone swung its arms into Raven's field, causing it to fluctuate. Zerrich gathered energy around his right fist, ready to unleash it if the barrier fell. Raven pushed the barrier ahead of her, forcing the robot backwards. A gap formed in the corner of the energy barrier, leaving a portion of the machine open for attack. Zerrich unleashed the ball of blue energy, and it smashed into the robot's shoulder. It turned its shoulder back slightly from the impact, but nothing more.

Raven knew Zerrich was well off his game. She reached out to a large, loose rock behind the machine, pulling it towards the monster's back. The robot took the hit, nearly tumbling forward. Raven finished the move with a blast of black energy to the robot's lower legs. The drone put one of its arms against the cavern wall, bracing itself from falling. It was quick to bring its other limb out front, the red light from the handless tip again blasting away at Raven and Zerrich.

Raven ducked the beam entirely. Zerrich managed a barrier in front of him, but the beam disintegrated the field where it made contact. Luckily, the barrier held the blast off long enough for Zerrich to duck out of the way. Raven got back up, her eyes glowing white and her arms raised. The monster was just too large for her and Zerrich to handle alone. She reached into the cavern's ceiling, putting her soul self into whole sections of rock just above the robot. As it straightened out, Raven chanted her words of focus. On the last part of the chant, she swung her arms down. The ceiling above pulled loose in sections of black energy, smashing into the machine's back. It was buried relatively quickly.

The immediate effect was that of the cavern shaking, rock and debris cascading down loosely from above. "We have to go back," Raven warned. "This whole place might come down."

"Remind me to thank you for that later," Zerrich quipped. "Right now, I'm inclined to agree."

Both of them made for the entrance at the warehouse, Raven putting up fields to hold off the falling rock. Zerrich clearly was only able to keep at a decent run, wincing slightly as he traveled. Raven had gotten just far enough ahead of him that when a large section of the ceiling above threatened to come down in larger portions her field could not extend far enough back.

Zerrich put up a quick shelter over his head, but it was faltering. It only took a boulder twice the size of his head to smash the blue energy into nothing. It slammed into his left shoulder, nearly knocking him to the ground. The large rock falling a moment later onto Zerrich's back, however, accomplished just that. He fell quickly against the floor, unconscious. Raven used the little bit of light given off by the bright edge of her barrier and made her way back. Quickly, she got to Zerrich and rolled him onto his back. He was completely unresponsive; limp in her arms, but slowly breathing. Her shelter held fine, but it was probably a matter of time before she was simply buried along with Zerrich.

"I can't believe you're making me risk my life for you," she growled at the unconscious man, picking him up across one shoulder. She reached out with her mind, letting her powers lift his weight the rest of the way. With a much quicker pace Raven made her way out of the collapsing cavern and through to the warehouse ahead, where her team had just finished off the first drone. Discussion on leaving the warehouse became unnecessary as the team made their way out through the building's small side door.


	8. Background

**VIII**

**Background**

Presence of mind was the first thing to come along. No light or sound to accompany it; simply the sensation of being awake. The moments of sleep seeped away from the mind's eye rapidly, but the feel of reality was slow to take its place. A low, droning noise eventually started to penetrate the mental cocoon, forcing the mind to concentrate further on it. Still, no light came to the eyes.

The droning sound became clearer. It was not a long stream of sound as originally thought, but a broken tone only coming to the ears for a moment before it was gone. It was a constant pulse that would not fade away. Realization struck next as the sound continued. The timing of it seemed to match precisely with the feel of the heart beating through the chest.

Zerrich sighed from the back of his throat, groggy from his awakening. "Medicinal house," he complained in a weak grumble, recognizing the synthetic beeping sound of the heart monitor for what it was.

"We like to call them infirmaries," a raspy voice from Zerrich's side corrected him.

The new sound gave Zerrich reason to force his mind further to the surface. His eyes opened slowly to a dark room. The recessed lights were set to a low dim just above him as they ran across the goldenrod ceiling. Zerrich turned his head slowly to the voice on his left. Raven sat at the side of the bed, her arms folded across her chest as she leaned against the back of her chair. She had that expression across her face. The one that, after having watched Raven in action, Zerrich recalled as one of the expressions she often gave to caught criminals.

Zerrich rolled his head back onto his pillow. He closed his eyes and did a mental check of his body. He'd gone into a deep healing stasis, but it hadn't lasted as long as it needed to. He could tell parts of his body were still hurting, still needed rest. He sighed quietly then opened his eyes again.

"This isn't jail, is it," Zerrich stated more than asked.

"Two free points for you," Raven deadpanned.

Zerrich squinted a bit. "What are my totals so far?"

"I didn't know I was supposed to keep track."

"Hmm," Zerrich muttered. "Can we start from the two points?"

"We're going to start from where we left off," Raven answered.

Zerrich struggled to gesture at Raven with his left hand. "See, because I think that keeps me in the negative."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "If you want to joke around, I can just have you thrown in jail anyway."

"What kind of guarantee do I get that I won't end up going to jail after you're done?"

Raven scoffed. "You know, I thought when I was saving your life that there'd be something worthwhile in it." She got up from her chair and made for the door. "Maybe we're both digging in the wrong places."

Zerrich closed his eyes. She _had_ gotten him out of that cave in one piece. "It's not that I don't appreciate your saving my life," he finally said. "It's just that I can't help but feel as though I've been dragged in the wrong direction, now."

Zerrich looked to Raven. She stopped at the door, her head looking over her shoulder. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire. You might be right. I'm not the one to say for sure. You've never been open enough for me to know."

Zerrich stared at the ceiling. "I'm assuming you want to talk now?"

"I think you still need to rest more. I have to admit, I'm surprised at your recovery."

"I've been practicing," Zerrich grimaced as he tried to adjust on the bed. He turned his head away from Raven, looking towards the ceiling again.

"I'm also very surprised to see your arm healed," she continued. "I'm positive it was broken a few days ago."

"Good memory," Zerrich answered.

Raven didn't make a noise from across the room. Zerrich kept his head against the pillow, not attempting to look over. His senses were still dull, his body aching.

"You're right," Raven answered the silence. "I said you needed rest. I'll let you be."

"I appreciate that," Zerrich responded. "And yes. I am thankful to you for saving my life. Though, I couldn't exactly be sure what condition I'd have been in if you hadn't intervened from the beginning."

"It happens when there's little communication," Raven answered. "We'll finish this later." Zerrich heard the infirmary door slide open, then closed. With that over, Zerrich concentrated on restarting his healing trance. Slowly, the world caved in on his mind as his body began to finish repairing what it had started.

-

* * *

-

The door closed behind Raven as she walked out into the chart room. The team was waiting near the large display monitor on the wall. Zerrich's vitals registered throughout the board. The rest of the Titans were hovered randomly around it, though they turned to Raven as she came out.

"What'd he say?" Robin asked, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Not much," Raven said. "He's chosen to keep quiet for now. He figures we'll just throw him in jail once we're done with him."

"We still might," Robin retorted, quietly. "If you can't get him to open up, we might not have a choice."

Raven only nodded, though she felt her gut slightly rebel. If Zerrich truly did have all these answers the young girl had hoped for, this was the only chance she would have to get them. If she was going to get them at all.

"I decided to let him heal first," Raven finally said. "Maybe when he's a little healthier, he'll be in a better state of mind to talk."

Robin straightened from against the wall. "He gets one day. At least to start talking. After that…well, we'll see how far he progresses."

"Well, for right now," Cyborg interrupted, "I'm gonna have to put the Tower on full emergency lock-down. Nothing'll be able to get in or out, or move about the Tower."

Robin nodded. "And you're sure a full lock-down will keep Zerrich from getting away?"

"The systems prevent anything from getting in or out of any room, anywhere," Cyborg answered, "and I've improved on it since the last time it switched on. Raven helped me design the anti-subspace energy fields, too. You can't even travel interdimensionally so long as you got the lock-down in place. He ain't goin' nowhere."

"We'll all have to head to our rooms and get used to staying put for the night," Raven informed the team. "In the morning, Cyborg will shut the locks off and restore the Tower."

"We'll keep the infirmary on lock-down until we can all get down here. Other than that…" Cyborg stretched and yawned before slumping forward and making his way to his room, "…I'm ready to head off to bed. It's two hours to sunrise, and we haven't even hit the sack yet. Everyone else better bunk up now or they'll get locked in a hallway somewhere. And I don't wanna hear about it in the morning. Ain't gonna be in the mood."

The team broke ranks for the night, Raven looking over her shoulder at the door to the recovery room. The team had already discussed strategy for the next day. They would lead Zerrich to one of the empty quarters in the morning where Raven would question him about everything she could. Robin, Starfire and Cyborg would head back to the warehouse network and find out if they could dig through the collapsed passageway to see where it headed.

Raven turned around to walk to her room, finding Starfire waiting alone. "You do not believe the Zerrich to be a bad man," she said.

_That girl and her insight…_

"He's defensive. He's hiding a lot of things. I can't even probe his mind while he's in a healing trance." Raven began to walk. "But, no. I don't really think so. Not anymore."

Starfire nodded once, walking alongside Raven. "I have seen many warriors on Tamaran, and many such here on Earth; both hero and villain. I believe Zerrich had been...holding it back at times during our battle. He did not concentrate his full attack on us."

Raven shook her head. "No, that's not it. His defense seems to be his strength. He tries to wear his targets out, let them overexert, then clean up with what offensive abilities he has. Which are nothing to laugh at."

Starfire nodded. "Perhaps I have misstated my analogy. His focus did not appear to be on bringing us down, or wearing us out."

"He was trying for that door," Raven finished. "Yeah. I know. At first, I thought he was simply trying to get away. But, when I went after him…"

Raven didn't finish the sentence as she tried to think. _What **was** I thinking?_

"You believe the significance of what was down there is not directly connected to the Zerrich, correct?"

Raven looked to Starfire a moment before answering. "Yes. Slade…maybe. But not Zerrich."

"Then, we are in agreement," Starfire said, her voice slightly cheery.

Raven shook her head. "You know, this guy shot at you not eight hours ago. Have we forgotten already?"

"My recollection is perfect," Starfire answered, curiously. "My concerns are from the notion that we did not give this Zerrich a chance to explain himself. We simply made the assumption that he was the villain." Raven felt Starfire's head turn in her direction. "We even struck first. Perhaps we judged him too quickly."

Raven walked with Starfire up the stairway to the next level before answering. "Maybe. Maybe there's more to what he's hiding."

"You desire many answers," Starfire said. "I truly hope that you are able to receive them."

Raven couldn't help but stop walking. As much as she suppressed, she felt the slight edge of guilt in her stomach. "Starfire," she called out quietly.

Starfire turned around, and Raven suddenly realized the spot she'd put herself in. She wanted to apologize for the way she'd lied to her and left her out of the loop. In the past five days, she hadn't said anything of the sort. Now, she just felt awkward and dumb. It definitely wasn't her nature to open up in such a way.

"I'm not really good with this," Raven tried to start, staring at the floor. "Um. When I talked to you and everyone about why I never said anything until later. I felt like this was something I had to take care of. I just…" She shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to force the words to come out regardless of her embarrassment. "I'm sorry I closed you out. I know you were only worried about me."

The words were forced and with very little sympathy in their sound, but they were all true. Before she could lift her head and open her eyes Starfire had her in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. "Gack!" Raven managed, feeling like her eyes were trying to pop out of their sockets.

"Friend!" Starfire soothed, loudly. "You have no need to explain yourself. We all simply wish for you to trust in us more. We are all here for each other, and this includes you. Oh, I wish I could convince you of this myself!"

Raven did her best to answer, but the hug cut her air off. Starfire seemed to realize this and was quick to relax her grip.

"Yeah," Raven panted. "I know. I'm…getting better. Maybe we should hurry up and get to our rooms before Cyborg locks us up where we stand."

"This is true," Starfire agreed. "Good night then, Raven."

Raven simply nodded back as Starfire floated down the hall to head to her room. Raven took her normal path getting to her quarters and slipped through the doorway. She hadn't realized how tired she was until she got to the bed and plopped down onto it. She allowed herself a moment to hear the Tower locking down tight as armor panels slid in front of her windows and just outside her door. Then, relaxing with a deep breath, Raven went off to sleep.

-

* * *

-

"RUN!" Raven shouted, her body jolting forward. Her eyes blurred from blood rush, her mind felt sluggish and her sense of surrounding was completely jumbled. Then, a sharp pain blasted across the right side of her head. A flash of stars took the place of blood spots in her vision, and Raven grabbed at the pain in her skull.

Raven's vision cleared up, and she realized she was in her room, sitting up in bed. She rubbed the side of her head above her ear, looking around to see what hit her. One of her books lay sprawled open at the edge of her bed. She realized it had come from the far shelf, and Raven looked around to find a few more editions all over the floor. She'd had an awful dream, and her powers must have snapped when she had awakened.

She sighed, continuing to rub her head, and groggily got up to clean the mess. It was bad enough waking up each morning—_almost noon today, considering how late we turned in_—to a demon within that constantly needed calming. Now, the irritation was stretching into the early evenings. The last thing she needed were dreams to stir the monster awake even before she had. She couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the man now within the tower. There was no evidence linking the two issues, and Raven didn't have any gut instincts that were trying to tell her a connection existed. She simply…wondered.

She reorganized the books back on her shelf then headed for her sealed window, waiting for Cyborg to shut off the lock-down when he awoke. She'd take her shower later—once her door unlocked—and hope it would help to revitalize her body. She knew she would need to be sharp and in control later on for when she would have to speak with Zerrich. Concentrating on the immediate, Raven crossed her legs and hovered in place. Her eyes closed, and she softly began her meditation.

-

* * *

-

It was late afternoon by the time Robin, Starfire and Cyborg had gotten near the docks where the warehouses sat. They immediately went to the one of the battle from the night previous, prying open the large sliding floor. The tunnel underneath went twenty feet before rock and rubble blocked the path. Cyborg and Starfire immediately began digging with a combination of eye beams, hand blasts and personal cybernetic equipment, cutting away at rock and shaping the new walls into place.

"I can tell ya one thing," Cyborg started, blasting a bit of rock with his sonic cannon, "this wasn't just some freak cave-in. I don't think Raven set all this off like she thought."

Robin, trying to pitch in where he could with moving rubble, dropped a large boulder out of the way. "You think something else caused this?"

"Almost positive of it," Cyborg nodded. "The way this stuff is packed, looks like somethin' made the whole thing drop by sections. It couldn't have been started from just one spot."

Robin nodded. "Apparently, whatever's at the end of this thing is even more secretive than the abandoned base."

"Robin!" Starfire shouted from ahead. The other Titans ran to her position.

"What's up, Star?" Cyborg asked.

"I believe I have found our second attack drone," she answered, gesturing to the crushed limb sticking out from under the rock ahead.

"Looks like one," Robin agreed.

"Man, wonder how much farther this thing goes," Cyborg sighed quietly, checking his scanner. "Readings get weird after fifty feet. The rock's just too dense to get an accurate look ahead."

"We'll have to keep digging. If the cave-in was rigged, then this tunnel must have been important."

"Perhaps it was only buried to stall us," Starfire pointed out. "We may come to nothing more than empty space."

"If this was meant to slow us down," Robin started, "then we're already a day late. Whatever's left to find, we have to find it."

Very little more was said between the three as they continued to dig. At some point, Robin hoped, they'd come to something worthwhile.

_I hope we come across this 'worthwhile' soon…_

-

* * *

-

"Okay," Beast Boy said, "are you _absolutely _sure?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to answer this question anymore."

"All right, all right," Beast Boy responded. "It's just that I don't trust…machine stuff. Well, except for, like, the Gamesta…"

Raven kept her narrowed gaze on Beast Boy until he finally looked in her direction. Sure enough, the green Titan stopped mid-sentence. "Beast Boy," she said, simply.

"Right. Press the green button, then the red one twice after, then punch the code. If you say that's it."

Raven didn't answer as she waited for the first door to slide open. When the door to the locked-down hall finally slid away, Raven made her way to the next one.

"Raven?"

The girl let out a controlled breath. "What now?"

"Are…you going to be okay?"

Raven's annoyance floated away for a moment. She turned to look at Beast Boy. "I'll be fine," she answered.

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll be right outside if you need me. You know, guarding the door. Nothing gets in or out without dealing with me!" He flexed his scrawny arms, trying his hardest to look tough.

"Thanks," Raven deadpanned. "You can hit the buttons, now."

Again, Beast Boy nodded as he reached for the green button. His door slid closed, and the one in front of Raven opened. After she stepped in, the door closed behind her. It was followed by the echoing slam of the security panel closing on the other side of it. Zerrich sat against the wall, his legs bent in front of him with his arms resting loosely over his knees. Raven wasted no time walking over to the wall. When she got to him, she simply sat down with her legs crossed.

"You've finished healing?" she asked.

"A couple more sessions," Zerrich told her. "My body doesn't handle falling boulders too well."

"I don't think our bodies were meant to," she said, dryly.

Zerrich looked up at her. "This is where we start the interrogation?"

"It's not an interrogation," Raven answered.

"And you have me locked up bec…"

"Because we still don't trust you," Raven interrupted him. "You have no one to blame for that but yourself. If you want to change things so that you don't have to go to jail, then now would be the time to talk to me."

"You said so before. You can't guarantee anything."

Raven shrugged. "You have nothing to lose. I can't force you to tell me anything. But considering where we're at, why wouldn't you?" The girl leaned closer to emphasize her next point. "For everything you already know about myself and my past, I think you at least owe it to me to tell me who you are."

Zerrich took a deep breath then nodded. "All right. We can start with that."

"Where do you come from?" Raven asked.

"I was born in the Desmoth Regions," Zerrich said. "Nothing fancy to note about that, if you've ever been."

"I haven't," Raven responded. "I've seen the start of the Regions from a distance." The City of Azarath floated high over the Azarath lands themselves, providing a spectacular view from the city fringes. Raven's floating home was in constant movement, but it maintained its relative location year-round. "What did you do there? What were you?"

"Well, we came from the Eastern lands. My father took me to the local temples for our annual prayers as a young boy. That's where I took in what I believed to be my calling."

Raven straightened. "And that would be?"

"I should back up," Zerrich started. "My mother died when I was perhaps two years of age."

"Oh," Raven said, feeling slightly guilty about how she phrased her previous question. "I'm sorry."

Zerrich shook his head. "I hardly remember her. She died of Ascerium disease, something we still know very little about. One day, when my father took me to our closest temple, I witnessed a healing session between a man and one of the temple monks. To get to the point, I learned to become a healer."

Raven didn't answer right away. Suddenly, things were a bit clearer. "So, you discovered you had a natural ability to heal."

"Once the Monks and Elders taught me how to tap into my center. After that, my father took me to the temple as often as it was needed, many times leaving me for days when I would request it. He fully supported my efforts. I think we both felt the same on how appropriate it seemed, considering what had happened to my mother."

Raven nodded. "You felt as though her death by disease was of great significance."

"Yes. My father and I both read into it as fate."

"All right," Raven said. "How did you come across those scrolls?"

Zerrich raised his eyebrows. "Straight to it, huh?"

"Straight to it," Raven repeated. "If you don't mind including the 'big favor' you mentioned."

Zerrich crossed his legs under him, wincing slightly in discomfort as he stretched his back against the wall behind him. "I was finishing the last stage of my apprenticeship. I was to take a pilgrimage to—I don't know—gods know where. Three days out, I find a young girl deep in a chasm. She had broken both legs, had internal bleeding…it was very bad. I climbed down after her and healed her internal body to the best of my ability, but it was simply too much for one sitting.

"Over the course of three days, I nursed her back in that chasm until she could walk again. It rained the last day and the entire time back to the temple. Once the monks received her, I found out she was the granddaughter of a temple Elder from West Desmoth. I don't recall her reasons for being out as far as she was, but she was out far enough that none would have normally come across her way."

Raven unconsciously looked to her lap. "He gave you the scrolls as some kind of payment for his granddaughter?" It almost made sense. Elders had families just the same as anyone else. The only problem was, they were talking about Rontizma scrolls. Two of them at that. Raven found it hard to fathom even one being given in appreciation.

Zerrich simply nodded. "My saving the young girl seemed to satisfy my teachers." Zerrich shrugged, finishing his story. "I had three by the end, which is unusual."

Raven looked at him, letting one corner of her mouth pull tight towards her cheek. "Not as unusual as you might think," she said, dryly.

Zerrich smirked. "Then we're two students of a similarly unusual situation. In any case, my teachers found it suitable to let me start in the ranks of the healers of the temple. I refined my abilities over the course of three years."

"I'm going to take a wild guess," Raven started, "and say that you learned your other magic through use of the scrolls."

"That helped to refine my efforts, yes."

"Okay then," Raven leaned closer to Zerrich, "what made you want to learn everything else? Why?"

Zerrich scratched his head a moment. "That part gets complicated."

Raven shrugged. "We have all day. I don't have any plans."

"Some of it is rather…personal," Zerrich said.

He was stalling, and Raven knew it. "Then what possessed you to come looking for me? And claiming curiosity isn't going to cut it this time."

Zerrich paused a moment. "I'm…really not sure how to start."

"With the truth? It's as good a start as any."

"I…had a vision. Of sorts."

Raven raised a single brow. "Vision?"

"I'm sorry," Zerrich said, "I'm not sure I can go into the details yet. I don't think I've deciphered its meaning. Even if it means you still lock me up, I think it best I kept this to myself for now."

Raven straightened out. Zerrich was really in no position to be holding back information. Still, it was the young girl's job to get anything she could out of him, not confront him to a point where he decided to no longer cooperate.

She nodded. "Then let's go to something easy. You read the scrolls seven times. Tell me what you know how to do. Tell me what you've learned."


	9. Everything and Nothing

**IX**

**Everything and Nothing**

Cutting into the rock ahead of the three Titans became more and more difficult the deeper they got. The path was solid earth, almost like the regular underground surrounding them. The entire process became almost like an archeology dig, with Cyborg using his geosensors to determine where the density of earth changed while they cut through, mostly vaporizing the rock in front of them as they went. It was another hour before they realized they had finally reached the end of the tunnel.

"I think that's it," Cyborg finally said, wiping his brow. "Seems like some sort of chamber."

Surprisingly, the chamber at the end of the collapsed tunnel was left unscathed. The rocky cavern boasted its own tunneled-out short paths and alcoves. The team spread out, searching the area for any clues. They found nothing in the form of left-behind trinkets or devices, or anything that would help them understand what had been down there.

"Hey, Rob," Cyborg said from further away, his voice echoing off the multiple walls of the chamber. "Take a look at this."

Robin walked over to Cyborg who was shining his shoulder lamp at a solid-looking wall of rock. "An entrance?"

"Think so," Cyborg nodded. "But check it." Cyborg lowered his lamp to the ground where the rock started coming out of the wall, looking almost like a flood of dark water practically frozen in place.

"Molten rock," Robin realized. "Must have super-cooled before it had a chance to fill the chamber. Can we cut through?"

"Sorry, man," Cyborg shook his head, "but I just about wasted my batteries getting' down this far."

"We may have to come back."

"Robin?" came Starfire's voice from behind. Robin and Cyborg approached the green glow coming from Starfire's raised hand.

"What did you find?"

"I can not be certain," she began, "but there is something…strange about this part of the floor."

Robin looked to the ground, finding nothing particularly interesting. He bent down and examined the ground more closely. The dirt had been stirred up, as if attempting to hide something that had been there. The rest of the chamber floor showed very little sign of travel. Robin ran a gloved finger through a small mound of dirt.

"Lemme check that," Cyborg offered, switching his lamp through his multiple scanning beams. Robin stepped back as Cyborg scanned the area in front of the Titans.

"This part of the dirt seems to have been disturbed almost in a circle," Robin said. "Can you check for traces of ash?"

Cyborg's scanner turned a deep violet color. Smeared portions of dirt indicated the areas in which something at some point had burned.

"These points indeed seem to form a circle," Starfire noted. "With the exception of the four even points on the outside."

"I don't want to guess," Robin started, "but I'm not liking the look of this."

"What are you thinkin' it is?" Cyborg asked.

"Something…dark. Whatever it is, we have to keep searching. There were two Slade sentinels guarding this thing. We've got to get to the bottom of this."

-

* * *

-

"What about the shadow you masked your face with?"

Raven had been asking question after question for the last two hours. A fair amount went without a clear answer, but the hours were not wasted. From Zerrich, Raven learned his history, his abilities to an extent, even some of his setbacks.

To answer Raven's prior question, Zerrich raised his hand out to his side. Raven watched as he caused the floor to grow dark in a larger shape of the hand above it. The fingers swirled clockwise until the shadow became a large circular spot with no given source. For the most part, the explanations for how he learned each of his abilities usually stemmed from the scrolls. Raven could only assume this was yet another technique drawn from the incantations.

"Shadow magic is probably the easiest to learn," Zerrich said. "Not much to it except keeping the concentration. All you're really doing is creating walls of shadow. Of course…"

Zerrich lifted his hand higher, and the circular shadow on the floor lifted into the air. A disc of darker air centered itself between Zerrich and Raven. She instinctively reached out for it. When her fingers touched the first part of the disc, it began to dissolve like a mist until it was gone.

Zerrich smirked. "It does move around. Can't really do much else with it. I can shape it and wrap it around objects on a small scale. Nothing too large, as yet."

"It's perfect for concealment," Raven indicated.

"Also very nice for masking my travels when I slide through a wall," Zerrich added. "My natural energy is blue, and a little too bright for being surreptitious."

Raven nodded, thinking about the lessons she was taught. "The Elders say those that can find their center and let it radiate from within have a color that matches their soul."

"Yes," Zerrich answered. "The blue itself is supposed to indicate peace and tranquility."

Raven smirked slightly. "I think just about every hue represents peace and tranquility on Azarath."

Zerrich couldn't help but smile back. "It isn't very surprising. The depth of blue in my power seems to come from emptiness of a kind. I had always assumed it was related to my mother."

"Aaand…now you think it might be something else?"

Zerrich shook his head. "I really have no reason to. But…yes, I do."

"Such as?"

"I have no idea," Zerrich answered, shaking his head again. "As I said before, part of my reason for coming here was in the search for answers."

"You've been pretty open about asking questions. Especially the ones about me."

"I still have questions about you. If I could read your mind, things would be easier."

"If you could read my mind," Raven retorted, "it'd probably leave you traumatized."

Zerrich smirked, letting his amusement show. For Raven, the question on whether Zerrich was psychic or not had been officially answered. That, however, left another question.

Raven looked straight at Zerrich. "You have no psychic ability. How is it you can project that aura…"

The intercom clicked, and Raven's question was interrupted by Beast Boy's words. "_Hey, Raven. Robin's calling in. He really wants to talk to you_."

Raven sighed. "I have to go. We'll continue this later."

"I might have a favor to ask," Zerrich started as Raven turned to leave.

"What kind of favor?" she asked, turning around slightly.

"Is there a chance I might be able to receive some food? I believe it is well past breakfast. I haven't actually had a decent meal in some time."

Raven looked back towards the door. Food. They hadn't actually given him a meal all day.

"Sorry about that," she said, somewhat embarrassed. "I'll have something brought in. You aren't too picky, are you?"

"At the moment," Zerrich answered, "not very picky at all. Thank you."

Raven nodded as she headed for the door, typing in her code to open it and walk through. As the door closed behind her, Beast Boy reopened the corridor.

"What does Robin need with me?" Raven asked.

"Dunno," Beast Boy answered. "But it sounds like they found something they want you to look at. Cyborg's gonna come back in and recharge, so when he gets here with the T-car…"

"I'll just head out now," Raven interrupted. "It'll be a lot faster."

"Kay then," Beast Boy said. "So, what about this Zerrich guy? Am I gonna keep watching him?

"When Cyborg gets in," Raven began, "make sure to give him a decent lunch."

"Um," Beast Boy said, "okay. Do you think he'd like to try som-"

"No tofu," Raven replied. "In fact, let Cyborg fix something when he gets in. I'll be back with the team."

With nothing else to say, Raven sank into the shadows on the floor and the black swirl of magic under her feet.

-

* * *

- 

Raven didn't like it.

From the first step into the cavern chamber, looking around at the different tunnels and alcoves, she felt a terrible chill fill her entire body. There was no draft, no source for air that she could see except for behind her. However, the chill came from the chamber itself. Neither Robin nor Starfire seemed to be bothered by it. Then, Robin shined a portable lamp Cyborg had given him at the ground. The spectrum of light caused the parts of the ground to glow. He explained the glowing dirt piles were ash and residue from something that had burned there prior. The formation was immediately recognized, and Raven suffered from a chill of a more natural cause—a quick moment of fear.

No, Raven didn't like it at all.

Despite her moment of heightened emotion, she kept her face neutral and was able to maintain control. She looked over at Robin who was watching her. She knew he'd seen it in her face. Regardless of how well she may have hidden it, Robin had probably seen that fear right off of her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I can't tell," she answered, neutrally. "I'm…just not comfortable here." She looked back to the circular pattern of highlighted dirt. She made note of the four cornered highlights just outside the circle. After taking it in, she stepped into the middle of it and began levitating. She crossed her legs under her, holding her hands out and closing her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Robin asked.

"What I'm looking for can't be found physically in this cave. I'm going to see what I can find beyond."

"Be careful, Raven," Starfire whispered.

Raven put her concentration into the circle. She reached out with her mind to the residue of ash surrounding her. She increased her concentration on their origins—what they might have been used for. She tried imagining the candles that had probably been in their place.

The ash and residue answered back. In her mind, each point was as bright as the original candle flames that once surrounded where she levitated. She searched further, deeper into their meaning. They whispered to her, but she could not fully interpret what they were saying. Her mind went through the categories of rituals she knew, trying to find a connection. A certain possibility struck her mind, and she mentally told herself it couldn't be what she thought. She applied the thought to the whispering fires.

The flames answered. The whispers turned into hoarse chanting. It was an incantation—_the_ incantation used to invoke the fires surrounding her. That's when Raven gasped, though she couldn't tell if it was mentally or out loud. The small candle flames became large fires burning around her. The fires linked to each other through lines of light—the four 'corner' flames forming a diamond with sides that curved from point to point outside of the circle. The incantation grew louder, repeating over and over, and she recognized it. In that recognition came a vision. A fiery portal formed just in front of her. Flames swirling around like wind appeared from the realm on the other side. A quick flash of fire soared past the opening on the other side—a wave of flame in the shape of a wing.

Raven screamed.

Her eyes flew open, and her concentration dissolved, causing her to fall to the ground. She was panting, out of breath. Sweat poured down her face. The other two Titans came to her side, asking if she was all right, if anything was wrong.

"Everything is wrong," she whispered through her panting. "Everything…"

-

* * *

- 

The trip home was slow. Starfire carried Robin back while Raven flew along side them. The sun was beginning to set, and the city seemed to be in the midst of getting home just the same as the Titans.

"So, you know what that vision you had means?" Robin asked through the wind.

"Positive," Raven yelled back. "It was a ritual for opening a window to the realm of the Flame Demons. We call them the Firnusium. They're made of pure fire. Just one of them could make a real mess of this city and keep our hands full for a while."

"If that's true," Robin said, "then I'd make a guess that we don't have one in the city right now."

"You couldn't miss one," Raven answered. "If we haven't seen one around, we probably aren't going to." _Not yet…_

"So," Starfire started, "the ritual has failed?"

"I'm not sure," Raven responded. "I saw the portal. I saw the fires on the other side. I think the portal was opened, but something prevented anything from coming through."

"Like what?" Robin inquired.

"Don't know," Raven said. "That was about when I screamed and accidentally ended the vision."

They continued to fly for a moment, the Tower starting to show up in front of them as they flew across the bay. "Learn anything from Zerrich?"

Raven kept her flight steady, not answering right away. _What a quick subject change._ "He's told me a lot."

"What does he want?" Robin asked.

"Well, he actually hasn't said that much yet."

"That doesn't help us."

Raven nodded once. "He did tell me a lot about his past and his abilities."

Robin looked over at Raven as they flew. "Give me a run-down."

"He used to be a healer. Something happened with him, and suddenly he began learning to use his power in different ways. It happened after a vision he says he had, but he won't tell me what it was about."

"Any guesses?" Robin asked.

"I'd rather not guess," Raven answered him. "I do know that he was given the Rontizma scrolls as some kind of payment for rescuing the granddaughter of one of our Elders. I don't know any more details around that situation; the specifics are still light."

"He learned how to fight from reading the scrolls?"

"He learned how to use his energy to create fields and energy blasts. I'm not sure where he learned to fight. He also learned to use his energy to allow him to fly, traverse interdimensionally and grab onto objects and move them across great distances. He isn't psychic or telekinetic, though. When he grabs objects, he can only lesson their weight by a certain amount. Mostly because he can't apply his mind to it."

"So he can't lift busses like you can," Robin put it simply.

Raven smirked slightly. "He has gotten good with what he's learned. There are also some tricks he knows that are unrelated to the energy he's tapped within himself. Rituals, incantations and the like. He's scratched the surface of shadow magic. He uses it mostly as a masking tool."

"Okay," Robin nodded, "how do we find out what he wants?"

"I'm trying to get to that. I'm hoping he might enlighten me if I keep pushing."

"Enlightenment is what I'm after," Robin finished as they approached the roof of the Tower. "I'm giving you more time with him, but only because I need to know if and how he fits into all this."

The three Titans touched down on the Tower's roof. They wasted little time going down the stairs to the lounge within before splitting their own ways. Raven made her way straight to her room. For the moment, Zerrich would have to wait.

-

* * *

- 

"Gone," Raven muttered to herself, slapping the book in her hand to the floor with a muffled 'foomp.' She had suspected the obvious already, but after checking through every single book in her room, Raven confirmed that one of her books was missing. Technically, she was missing several. Among ones she couldn't recall at the moment was the book in question.

Raven picked the dropped book back up and put it on top of the stack of books in front of her. That stack had been the last of the books to search through. She reached out with her mind, lifting the entire stack of tomes back on the upper shelf she had gotten them from. The black energy around each edition dissolved as they settled in place. Raven headed out of her room and towards the recreation lounge for an evening meal.

Raven hadn't simply been searching to see if the book had indeed remained or not. She had wanted to look up valuable information about the ritual she had discovered in the cavern. Still, she knew she wouldn't find it. She had known from the beginning that the knowledge of such a ritual could have only come from that book. The likelihood of anyone else having a copy on Earth was highly improbable.

It wasn't a long walk before Raven made it to the living room. Cyborg had been lying on the sofa, taking up most of the central area. Raven could see that he'd made himself quite comfortable as he watched the television screen.

"All charged up?" Raven asked.

Cyborg looked up, a little surprised. "Oh, yeah I did. Course, now I'm all energized, and it's nearly ten 'o'clock."

Raven sat on the far end of the curved sofa. "Where's Beast Boy?"

Cyborg shot a thumb towards the far corridor. "Turned in early. Guard duty was too much for 'im."

Raven rolled her eyes. "And, by 'too much,' you mean 'bored to tears.' "

Cyborg laughed. "Yeah. 'Bout sums it up, don't it?"

"What about Robin and Starfire? Already gone to bed?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Star and Robin went back to the station. He's gonna try and get the stuff from Slade's base out from under all that red tape. Y'know, just in case they missed something."

Raven relaxed against the back of the couch. It was a good idea, going over the salvaged equipment. Even the slightest clue or bit of extra data recovered might have helped.

"Rob says you got some bad vibes in that cave," Cyborg brought up.

"Understatement of the year," Raven responded.

"Least you got a better idea what it was."

Raven nodded. "What, yes. The why and the how are still in question."

Actually, the _how_ was simple. _They stole my book and opened that portal with it._ That, of course, brought in the question of whom. Slade? Someone else?

"So," Cyborg straightened out. "Is it bad? We talkin' 'usual Slade' bad, or worse?"

Raven took the time to explain her vision to Cyborg. She explained it was just a vision, enhanced by her own powers. It had reflected an event that had occurred, which considering the creatures Raven knew dwelled on the other side, meant a very dangerous event indeed.

"What I can remember," Raven continued, "the rituals required some sort of astrological alignment, and a hot spot, I think. Some place considered potent…ripe for the incantation."

"Figures," Cyborg said. "There's always some underground cave just beggin' for someone to find and wake up the dead. Er…call up the…demon…dudes."

"Except that," Raven said, "from what I know something should have happened, and it didn't. If the ritual was a success as I saw in my vision, then why aren't there a flock of these things terrorizing the city?"

"Somethin' went wrong?" Cyborg queried.

"I'm not so sure. Like, something _else_ happened. Another plan."

Cyborg scoffed. "That'd be just like Slade. Throwin' curves on us."

Raven sighed. "It always seems to come back to Slade."

"You think our boy down stairs is still involved?"

"I don't know. We're in a spot, though. Can't rule out Zerrich, can't really account for Slade. After probing Chang's mind we know he was telling the truth, so he isn't involved past his own plans."

"Maybe when Robin gets back, we'll have some more info. And if there ain't no fireballs with wings messin' with the city, let's be glad we got a break for once."

Raven simply stared across the room. "I want to be. I just don't think this is a break. More like the calm before the storm."

The two Titans simply sat on the couch with no noise except for the audio from the large TV image in front of them.


	10. So it Begins

**X**

**So it Begins**

A mere two days later, the Titans were in the meeting room. Robin had gotten hold of all the computer equipment from Slade's base, and Cyborg worked the last two days nearly straight trying to piece together hardware and information supposedly fried by Raven and Starfire's E.M.P. field. Both Robin and Cyborg went over the findings, trying to reassemble what they had.

It really wasn't as much as the team had wanted, but it was quite a lot of information and more than previously expected. There was a trail of chronological entries demonstrating a steady research into a lot of the Titans' history. Most of it seemed to post-date their last encounter with Terra and Slade. If Slade truly was involved, then he had never left the city. For the past six months, he had been preparing for…something. The question was precisely what.

The startling part to be revealed was the extensive amount of study on Raven. Even the dark Titan herself was a little taken aback by it. Details seemed to stem from translated literature taken from Raven's personal library. There were many references to Azarath history and sketchy details on the language, more than likely the start of the translation legend they had found pertaining to the one scroll. A further note indicated the tracking of a target carrying an 'object of interest.' The target in question was most likely Zerrich. It was followed by an indication of obtaining the said object successfully. No details as to how could be found.

The next bit of information recovered was a tiny piece of transcript with the word 'Firnusium' clearly showing. Another part of the text included the words 'enter,' 'locate' and a broken ghost imprint of a word the team assumed to be 'acquire.'

"Enter…" Beast Boy said slowly as the rest of the team settled on the probable latter word. "Was he trying to enter the portal?"

"Enter this world of fire demons?" Cyborg scoffed. "That man musta been hangin' around lava flows for too long after our last skirmish."

"It could mean enter the realm itself," Robin said, "or it could be talking about a demon entering ours. We can't tell for sure with this information."

"We do know there's a lot more going on than we thought," Raven said, grimly.

"There was one last reference we found," Robin added. "Some parts I couldn't piece together, but there's some heavy talk about the ritual either being on time or performed for the right amount of time."

Raven nodded. "There are some rituals which take days to prepare or days to perform. Success in the spell means that Slade, or whoever, knew about what atmosphere was required."

"Oh, and get this," Cyborg continued, "a lot of the files that were scrambled were done so from some auto-encryption. They tried to purge themselves when the E.M.P. went off…by design. I'm thinkin' Slade left to do this ritual, then he set up his base to erase itself if anything happened. It'd explain why he left everything open, for both us _and_ Chang to find."

"How come it didn't set off when Chang found it?" Starfire queried.

"Dunno," Cyborg shrugged. "Chang's crafty. Lot more than we give him credit for. Hell, I think he even _built _that little army we dismantled using blueprints from Slade's computers. Even if all he did was modify 'em, that was some effort."

"And a little help from the scroll he finished translating," Raven muttered.

"Thing was, the purge program eventually set off when the explosion fired."

"So why was so much of this stuff recovered?" Beast Boy asked.

"Because, funny enough, the E.M.P. messed with the purging of some of the files," Robin filled in.

"But…" Starfire began, "…I do not understand why Slade would not return to his base after so late a time. How much time do these rituals require?"

"I don't remember," Raven answered. "I know the incantation for the spell, not the setup. But I'm fairly certain it wasn't that long."

"Ugh," Beast Boy sighed. "More questions."

"And no answers for them," Starfire finished.

Raven considered for a moment one possibility. "There might be one source. Robin, if you could accompany me..."

Without waiting for a response, Raven got up from the meeting table and started her way out to the corridor. There was someone in particular she wanted to speak with.

-

* * *

-

"I've done some studying," Zerrich cocked his head to the side as he answered Raven's question. The room was, once again, sealed with just the two of them inside. The unnatural light of the encased fluorescent tubes gave an eerie look about the room as they stood by the door.

"I need to know the ritual surrounding the incantation of the Firnusium," Raven stated. "I was hoping you might have read that book."

Zerrich looked confused. "The Firnusium? Where'd this subject come from?"

"From a dark cave under the city. Someone tried to invoke the realm of the Flame Demons. Nothing's come of it that I can tell, but I don't like it one bit."

"Here? How does anyone else on this planet come to the notion of invok…hell, how does anyone here even _know_ of the Firnusium?"

"Because an arch enemy of ours raided our Tower six months ago and stole varying items of interest. One of them was my book on the subject." Raven closed her eyes, opened them back up and looked to Zerrich. "You know what I am. You've been learning what you can about me, so I know you've done some research into…into demons in general. If you know anything at all-"

"I've researched some things on the Firnusium," Zerrich interrupted.

Raven didn't know if she wanted to thank Azar out loud or sigh in relief. She instead remained neutral, except for the slight widening of her eyes. "Do you remember the circumstances necessary for opening a portal to the realm?"

"Tectonic shifting plays a role if I remember. The spell requires a…particular site. A place that maybe gives off the right kind of energy, or something relating to tectonic alignment."

"When I was in the cave, I felt cold. No one else seemed to be affected. I couldn't tell if it was something that came from some ritual or if it was a natural energy in the air."

"And what about earth movement in the area?"

"We have earthquakes regularly in Jump City, but there haven't been any big ones lately."

"The shifting doesn't have to be huge, just precise. When do you think this incantation took place?"

"We don't know for sure. We're guessing about a month ago, or more. About the time one of our local villains uncovered that base you found for us."

Zerrich nodded. "Okay. You have a single moon. A full moon would have an increase in gravitational effects."

"But would that be enough?" Raven queried.

"No. There would have to be other spells involved. They wouldn't have to be in the same location to enhance the primary ritual. I can think of some easy ones."

Tectonic enhancement spells. Possible others. Raven had been searching for augmentation rituals that could have played a roll, but she certainly didn't know all of them. There could have easily been ones she had missed. "Zerrich, I'd like you to look over the information with me."

"And then you'll throw me back in here when you're done?"

Raven paused. Zerrich had not put up much of a fight the last couple of days. He'd been given food, a bed as well as accessible facilities. However, the fact still remained; what exactly were they going to do with him in the near future? He still hadn't answered the question regarding his true reason for arriving on Earth. To his credit, he hadn't simply come up with some fabrication just to answer the question. Still, it didn't mean he hadn't fabricated any of his other answers to date.

Raven turned to the door, hitting the speaker button. "Robin, open up." She turned back to Zerrich as the blast panels on the other side of the door hissed open. "You're going to stay right beside me. You aren't going to go anywhere else but where I go, and I would recommend you not make any quick movements."

"Such as sinking through the floor?" Zerrich quipped.

"I'm not kidding. I really had to fight like hell to keep you out of jail this last time. And I still don't know why…"

The main door slid open, and Raven walked with Zerrich into the sealed hall. When the door closed behind her, the corridor opened up to reveal Robin on the other side. He gaped wide-eyed for all of a half-instant before his hand grabbed at his belt instinctively. He took nothing out, but he continued to stare at Raven incredulously.

"It's all right, Robin," Raven said, coolly.

"What the hell is this?" Robin half growled.

"He's studied some of the same books I have. And he knows about the Firnusium. I'm taking him up to see what information we've scratched together. Besides, he might be able to explain some other parts of the ritual I can't remember or don't know about."

"You could have said something before waltzing out," Robin retorted. "I don't like this."

"I think we're all painted into a corner, this time," Raven said. "I don't think we have any other choice."

Robin kept his face in a grimace as he relaxed his posture. He looked directly at Zerrich. "Don't give me any more reason to throw you in jail, not after all this."

Zerrich simply looked back at Robin. "I don't recall giving you a reason in the first place."

Raven couldn't help but look over her shoulder. Zerrich was pushing it. When Robin got thickheaded, and it happened often enough, his decisions stuck. Zerrich's eyes, however, were locked with Robin's and ignoring Raven altogether.

"If you asked me, I'd say our battle in the warehouse already warrants a good enough reason," Robin answered.

"You attacked first. I had no choice but to fight back."

"Enough," Raven said, calmly, though her voice had a stern enough tone to indicate she was serious.

Robin simply kept his eyes on Zerrich. "Just watch what you do."

"I'll leave that to you," Zerrich retorted as Raven began walking to the next corridor. Robin followed closely behind.

-

* * *

-

"I didn't agree to _any _of that," Robin said harshly to Raven.

The team had mostly dispersed after the meeting. What information Zerrich and Raven could cobble together gave Cyborg a little more research work, but for the most part it seemed the two mages were going to be the ones doing most of the looking up. Cyborg stayed with Zerrich as they left the meeting room. Robin, on the other hand, had been leaning against the far wall. He'd maintained that look of disgust the entire time Zerrich had been in the room. Raven sat at one of the table's far chairs, wanting to discuss Zerrich with Robin after everyone had left just as much as Robin did. It was time for Raven to go to bat once again.

"He's been cooperative since he's been here," Raven answered one of Robin's points. "If we keep him locked up, I don't think there will be any more information he'll be willing to give us."

"And what if he takes advantage?" Robin presented in a hushed tone. "What if leaving him out on his own has greater consequences?"

Raven sighed, quietly. "I'll take responsibi-"

"I don't care _who_ takes responsibility. I don't want it to happen. Period."

Raven stood up, walking over to Robin. "I think we're dealing with something much bigger than Zerrich. If anything is going to happen, I doubt it'll be from him." She looked at Robin for a moment before continuing. "He saved your life. In the warehouse while we fought Slade's sentinel drone. He pushed you out of the way of its blast. I saw it. You realized the same thing when you saw the hole in the wall."

Both were quiet for a long time. It gave both Titans the opportunity to reflect on the circumstances as well as the past couple of days. Raven could fully understand Robin's need for caution. However, it was just as she'd said earlier. The team was in a corner, and possible ways out were limited.

"I want to know," Robin said slowly, "what you think he wants."

Raven understood his question. Robin wasn't going to accept _I don't know_ this time. He wanted some kind of answer, straight out or best guess. Raven sighed. "I think…he knows something. Something that's going to happen."

"What kind of something? Do you think he knew about these fire demons?"

Raven shook her head. "I don't think he knew about them. I'm not sure if he even knows just what's going to happen. But I think he's trying to keep ahead of it."

"And he thinks you're involved," Robin finished.

"Somehow," Raven confirmed. "Right now, we need to find out what Slade, or whoever they are, was doing invoking the Firnusium. Zerrich can help. And I think he can help greater if he doesn't feel…imprisoned."

Again, there was a pause. Raven watched as Robin thought it over. His face was more relaxed than before, even though it still held most of the previous look to it. "He gets limited access to the Tower. And I expect him to be with you wherever he goes. At least for now."

Raven simply nodded before pulling her hood over her face and walking for the door. She stopped in the doorway after it slid open. "Thanks," she said simply before walking out.

-

* * *

-

Raven opened the door to her room and took a few steps in before turning her head over her shoulder. "You can come in."

Zerrich walked in slowly behind her, taking in the furnishings. "This is your room?"

"Feel privileged. I rarely let anyone into my room."

Zerrich smirked as he looked around. "It's interesting, especially looking at the rest of the Tower. It's like back home, but…not."

Raven went straight to her bookshelf. She really didn't feel like commenting on the décor of her room. "We've got work. It'll be faster with two of us searching."

Raven reached with her mind to a set of editions on the shelf, floating them away from their respective places and into a neat stack in the middle of the room. She reached out again for another set, stacking them closer to Zerrich. With Zerrich's help, at least they knew where to start looking.

"These are all the books," Raven finally said, sitting with her legs crossed in front of her stack. She began hovering in place and looked back over to Zerrich. "You're sure of the reference?"

"You saw it just as I did," Zerrich answered.

"There wasn't much of a symbol," Raven deadpanned. "It could have been anything."

"It was the sign for 'messenger.' Demon summoning. I'm pretty sure of it. Anyway, it's a place to look."

Raven turned her head back to her stack. They were looking for the match to a partial symbol scrambled in with another ghost image from Slade's recovered computer data. They could only hope that a match was possible, that they hadn't been mistaken. Raven's hands went out in front of her. The first three editions floated from their place and hovered two just off to her sides and one in the center. The pages turned as her mind directed. Zerrich had two books on the floor in front of him. The pages turned a slight blue as his fingers danced above the open tomes. He would take to pointing ever so slightly at the page, then flicking his finger lightly over. The parchment turned over of its own accord before returning to its normal faded beige color.

The two searched through Raven's set of tomes for a good two hours, interrupted twice by the team to see if everything was okay. One of the checks, of course, was from Robin.

"He just doesn't trust me," Zerrich stated with a sarcastic sigh.

"We've already been through this," Raven retorted, lowering one of her books back down while levitating another in its place. "You've told us nothing of your intentions, and nothing about what you want with me."

"It isn't his business," Zerrich shot over his shoulder.

Raven turned her head up from the book she was reading. "I don't think it makes any difference. You still haven't told _me_ what you really want. People usually ask for help by now if that's what they're after."

There was no response after that. Raven had to fight the urge to turn around and demand an answer. She closed her eyes and calmed herself, taking a breath before opening her eyes again…

"This is it," Zerrich said.

"What?" Raven placed her legs to the ground, the tomes around her slowly settling to the floor. She walked over to Zerrich, looking over his shoulder.

"This is the symbol. This is the one from the image. You can see the curl on the lower left. The embroidery is pretty close; the coloring matches…"

"What does it say?" Raven asked.

"Plenty. It talks of summoning messengers to either receive or send word between realms. It's only a small reference; I found it by accident after following the legend indicator from this paragraph about…"

"Does it list any other referrals?"

Zerrich searched the lower legend on the next page. "Well now, this is interesting. 'Referendum: Edition XII, Section 41, page four-hundred, seven under _Firnusium._' Edition twelve…do we have that one out…"

"No," Raven sighed. "That's the edition I'm missing. The one that was stolen."

They paused a moment. Zerrich turned back to the tome in his hands. "Okay. There are three other references. One of them also for book twelve. The other two are editions fifteen and seventeen."

Raven kneeled down next to Zerrich. "Tell me the page numbers."

-

* * *

-

Air. It was fresh coming off the ocean in such a strong breeze. Freshening was a better word. Raven let it blast across her face while the sun finished setting on the horizon. The few remaining beads of sweat slid to the sides of her forehead and lightly matted the line of hair next to her eyes. She had to concentrate hard to get her heartbeat to settle down. Adding to the remedy, Raven took a deep breath as well.

She needed the air. It helped her to breathe, to calm down, to not feel so suffocated. She had never let her books, her studies, feel as if they were trying to crush her alive. However, with every fact her and Zerrich connected with Slade's computer data, the worse it seemed to get. Sometimes, it was made worse when the possibilities were numerous, and each one a danger. The thing of it was, when Raven put them together in her mind, it seemed to always spell out the same thing.

Perhaps it was because she was paranoid. Maybe she was seeing it as the result of trying far too hard to ignore it—the result being that she could think of nothing else but. She was not convincing herself of that at all at the moment. She closed her eyes, running the connections through her mind once more. At least, the ones that stood out. The portal to the Firnusium had been accessed. The partial symbol found in the recovered archives seemed to most likely mean "messenger," though it still looked as though it could mean something else. Even without the book on the flame demons, there were still references in other texts to a messenger within the realm. That led to the discovery as to why the Demons never traversed to Earth. The one responsible for opening the portal hadn't done so to let the Demons through, but to travel through to the realm of the Firnusium itself. It was just as Beast Boy had said, though even he had been guessing.

The thought alone of someone going to the realm of the Firnusium had Raven wide-eyed when the theorem was presented. Going over some of the details of the ritual again—with the best of Zerrich's recollection added—showed much to support the theory. What followed was the explanation as to why Slade's base had been abandoned for so long…the caster of the spell had been in the other realm for weeks. That was where the wild speculation began. Had they gotten out alive? Had they accomplished what they had set out to? Zerrich's account of the man with the limp, the one Zerrich followed to the Hardware store front, showed that at least one man involved was here and not trapped in the realm of the Firnusium. However, it only meant something if there was only ever one person involved. What if this was a group or cult?

"I'll say this much," Zerrich said from behind Raven, "whoever from this planet decided to go to that dimension was either very prepared, or very dumb."

Zerrich had come up on the roof with Raven almost automatically. They both simply stood there at the edge of the Tower's roof, overlooking the bay. Raven took in a slow breath, letting it out against the ocean breeze. She didn't answer him, didn't need to. While everyone was hoping for 'dumb,' the possibility of 'prepared' was going to have everyone on edge for the while.

"I hear your friend, Cyborg, is going back to that cavern," Zerrich started again, his voice much closer than when he last spoke. He had moved, and Raven hadn't heard his steps through the wind. "He's going to dig through some area he said had been filled in? See if it leads anywhere."

"It's been too long," Raven said. "Whatever evidence would have been there, it probably isn't there anymore."

"Maybe. Still, they might have left something behind."

Raven closed her eyes. She was reluctant to ask the question, mostly because of her fear that Zerrich might answer truthfully. A truth she wasn't sure she could take. Just thinking about it made her heart race, and she had to take time again to calm herself down. There was no point in keeping it in any longer. She took another cleansing breath, forcing herself to say it out loud, whether she wanted to or not. Her eyes remained closed as she opened her lips.

"It's my father," she whispered against the wind. "Isn't it?"

Zerrich didn't answer, and at first Raven wondered if the wind had swallowed her words whole. Then, she felt his presence closer behind her, just off her left shoulder. His reluctance to answer was suddenly an answer in itself.

"You're here because my…my father is coming," Raven finished. She looked to her left, though not up at Zerrich. "That was the vision you had. That's who you saw."

"The vision I had," Zerrich began, "was not focused on any one being. And…I kept telling myself it was nothing but a dream. Except, I keep finding myself in battle against it. The vision never leaves my thoughts for long."

Raven turned her head back towards the evening ocean. "What did you see?"

"I saw Azarath burning. I saw the Great City plummeted into the lands below…completely destroyed. What magnificent towers remained were on fire, burning from the inside out and becoming the same blackened husks of towers already ruined. The rest of the land was also burning. Desmoth, Siirtai…even as far away as the towns on the Fintalu Mountains…all engulfed in smoke and flame. The skies were darkened, though by smoke or evening I could not tell. There was no sign of what caused it. But, there was one thing. Even with the darkness in the sky, a shadow still cast across the ruins. Its shape was of something…powerful. Something more terrible than…"

It was Zerrich's turn to take a breath and collect himself. Raven didn't say a word, letting Zerrich compose his mind before he continued. "Afterwards, I took to finding what it was I had seen. Though I never saw it directly, the shape of its silhouette stuck in my mind. I looked through every scripture I could find before I came to the old story of…of Trigon.

"That's when I remembered you. I remembered the story of a young girl with a dark half who had only recently within the last fifteen years joined our people. We had heard, had known, whom she was related to. She had stayed until maybe two or three years ago and fled for reasons we could only speculate on."

"My people…" Raven began before correcting herself, "our people seemed to know what was coming when I was there. They seemed almost accepting of it…of me. I didn't want any harm to come to them. If I was going to be responsible for their destruction, then I knew what I needed to do. I left my home. I left hoping that my father would never find me and leave Azarath alone."

"It practically infuriated me," Zerrich continued, "once I knew what I'd seen. It was a vision of what Trigon would do if left unchecked. I tried to address the Elders. They didn't dismiss me as I thought they would. They acknowledged my vision, said they already knew of it. Then they told me, every single one that I spoke with, that they would not prepare against him. Because it isn't our way." Zerrich had to bite back the ends of his words. "The words, 'It is not our way,' will probably anger me every time I ever hear them again. I finally went to one last Elder. The one with the young girl I had saved on my pilgrimage. Just like the others, he told me he would do nothing to stop the terrible from happening. If destiny had meant for Azarath to fall, then that's what would come to pass. I pleaded with him, begged for his help. He seemed to understand my plight. He simply felt far too bound to his beliefs."

Raven turned around, understanding what he was trying to say. "He gave you the scrolls instead. He's a Pacifist. He couldn't do what you asked of him. But it didn't mean he couldn't do something."

Zerrich nodded. "Assisting one in doing what you might not believe in still makes you responsible. But, at the very least, he understood what I was trying to do. Regardless, in the end he called it a gift for saving his daughter. I guess it was meant to hide his understanding and simply call it payment for what he felt he owed me. I used them to gain what knowledge I could, but I already knew it was futile. No matter how hard I trained on my own, there was no way I was going to defeat Trigon. I remembered you again."

"Why?" Raven asked simply.

"You're the daughter of Trigon," Zerrich said, simply. "If there was any hope, anyone who could possibly defeat him, it could have been found in Trigon's own blood. And, even if it was for a short time…you were one of us."

Raven looked up at Zerrich. "Why didn't you tell me this to begin with?"

"I had to know. I had to know what you had become. You left without giving reason to anyone. At least, if you had, it was kept secret by those that knew you. The rest of us only had the stories told to go by. Had you left because you were afraid of what you might become? Had you been banished because you had already become what we feared? I had to know what happened first. Even after I had determined you hadn't changed, there were still other questions. What if there was a mental trigger? Something you weren't aware of that would turn you into the thing you have tried to run from all this time? Even when I studied you while under the scroll's spell, I couldn't be certain of that. There may yet be something that awakens the demon inside you…"

"Stop it!" Raven turned away, her hair flaring for a moment before she could concentrate on her emotions. It was too much to hear, even if she knew it was coming. Her breathing had increased all over again. Slowly, her body and mind began to recover, but she was still shaken. She then became aware that Zerrich had walked back over to her again.

Zerrich sighed. "I have a bad habit of being…rather blunt sometimes. I wasn't trying to…"

"It's not your fault," Raven answered. "It's just overwhelming. I did try to run from it. I convinced myself I could get away. I wanted so badly for my father not to find me, and for everyone that I knew to be safe. I lied to myself. And now, Azarath might be in danger. He's going to destroy it…all because of me."

A hand rested on Raven's shoulder. "It hasn't happened yet. I've also read that he's been repelled in the past. Currently trapped in another dimension. And he has yet to find you. He is devastating, but not unstoppable."

"How do we stop him? What can we do?"

Zerrich let his hand drop back down to his side. "I was actually hoping you could have told me."

Raven turned around. "Me?"

"As I'd said, if anyone was going to know how to defeat Trigon, I had hoped it would be you. I was hoping you would show me what you knew. I've been looking for the instructor with all the secrets I suppose you could say. I've been looking…for a mentor."

Raven didn't make a move, didn't make a single expression. Internally, she almost wanted to laugh. "All this time, you just wanted…for me to teach you what I know? What else _can_ I teach you?"

Zerrich struggled with his words for a moment. "I guess I was expecting something…more."

"Gee, thanks," Raven deadpanned.

"I don't mean to offend. I simply came into this with the understanding that, well…you're—"

"The daughter of Trigon," Raven finished. She lowered her head. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I doubt I have the kind of power you're looking for."

"I have a hard time ruling out your potential. I'm thinking it's simply a matter of discovering how to tap it. And safely, understanding your…"

Raven looked up again. "Burden?"

"Bloodline," Zerrich chose to say instead.

Raven was in heavy doubt. It was all too much at once. "I don't know. I can't even think straight right now."

"Raven," Zerrich started, "I just want to save my home. I've come all this way, learned so much. And here we are, on this planet, and some very peculiar events are happening which I believe are connected." Zerrich looked directly at Raven's eyes. "And so do you. If we don't know what to do, then we need to find out what can be done. Otherwise, it might be Earth, Azarath and who knows where else. Maybe it never stops unless we stop it here."

Raven's eyes looked away from Zerrich for a moment. There really was no other choice. "Of course I'll do whatever I can. None of this would be happening if it weren't for me. I just don't know where to begin."

"This is no one's fault. It is what it is. And, as for figuring out what to do, I think our first step is to tell your friends."

Raven looked back up at Zerrich and nodded. "Okay. It's a start."

The two of them turned and walked back inside the Tower, not knowing exactly how to proceed next.


	11. Encounter, Part I

**XI**

**Encounter**

It was the deafening boom from behind that gave Robin his cue, and the instant he landed in an extreme crouch his cape draped across him. The blast-wave passed over, and bits of debris pelted harmlessly off the thin but durable material protecting him. Of course, in this instance the cape sufficed as proper cover as the target had been decimated to paper-thin fragments. When the wind died down, Robin dropped the corners of his cape and stood up, letting the tiny particles slide harmlessly off the black material. He looked up to Cyborg and Beast Boy near the control station.

"Much faster," Cyborg announced from the training simulation computer. "It helped you clobbered three targets at once with a single grappling shot. Improved your time by twelve seconds."

"Sweet!" Beast Boy cheered, throwing his arms into the air. "This extra training is paying off! I can't imagine being any sharper than we are now!"

"We have to keep training. If this Trigon Raven and Zerrich are talking about is as bad as he sounds, we'll be fighting a battle well beyond anything we've ever fought. We have to get better."

Without flinching Beast Boy relaxed his posture to a full slump. "Auuuuuugh! Can't I at least take a breather for a couple of hours? My whole everything hurts!"

Robin knew the team was pushing harder than they ever had. It had barely been two weeks since Raven had told the Titans about her father. It surprised everyone—though on most levels, it made a lot of sense—to find out Raven was half-demon. Robin, though, felt more in the dark than his team. Starfire had heard of Trigon through legend, and both Cyborg and Beastboy seemed to have an idea of what Raven was talking about. And, of course, it was the entire reason behind Zerrich's arrival, as well as saving Azarath. At least, according to him. It was a small matter. The focus, of course, turned to the fact that Trigon was going to destroy everything they all knew if they couldn't stop him.

"Robin's right, man," Cyborg corroborated. "Even Starfire warned about this dude. He's gotta be pretty nasty if two totally different worlds are antsy about 'im."

"Speaking of Starfire," Robin straightened out a bit and turned his head, "give her the signal to begin. She's already in position."

"You got it," Cyborg answered, pressing the large green button on the console in front of him. It was a moment later that the timer went off, and Starfire started her training run. She was off her feet in a heartbeat, speeding towards the first obstacle and surrounding targets at a determined pace.

"Twenty bucks says Star beats out Rob's new record," Cyborg muttered to Beast Boy.

"Yer on," Beast Boy grinned.

Robin didn't mind the competition in the least, even against him. Anything that could motivate the team to increase their overall ability was a plus. Robin watched as Starfire continued through the course almost flawlessly, flying between stunner turrets, blasting targets, maneuvering with fascinating finesse and executing precision strikes with ease. It was an elegant but lethal dance through the air Robin never got tired of watching. Starfire hit her last targets and settled down in front of Robin with a bright smile on her face. It was that same friendly smile she had first given after repelling the Gordanian attack on the city a few years back, and it always warmed him inside to see it. Not that he ever let on to anyone—as far as he knew.

"Have I done well?" She asked.

It took a moment for Robin to snap back to reality and check the timer board behind him. Starfire had come in two seconds under Robin's new time. Behind the console, a grumpy Beast Boy slapped a twenty-dollar bill into an ear-to-ear-grinning Cyborg's hand.

"Uh," Robin finally managed, scratching the back of his head. "You did fine, Star. In fact, that's the biggest improvement yet. We've all improved big-time these past couple of weeks."

Starfire gave a squee and an even brighter smile at her accomplishment, but also for the team's. "Agreed. We have all come a long way in such a short time."

"Sooo," Beast Boy interrupted, "who's up next?"

Robin turned back to the console. "You are."

"Ugh! Didn't I just go…what, four turns ago?"

"Uuuuh," Cyborg said, "that'd be about right."

"You know, speaking of that," Beast Boy said, "what the hell is Raven up to? Her and Zerrich seem to be getting off pretty easy. All they get to do is study. I wanna study too!" It was a moment later Beast Boy clutched at his forehead. "I can't believe I just went and said that…"

Robin looked up to the Tower. "I'll take care of Zerrich. He needs learn how to fight hand-to-hand. Right now, though, he and Raven need to study up on everything they can find on Trigon and a way to stop him."

Robin looked back out towards the bay. The Titans had followed what leads had come up in the past two weeks, but in regards to who in the city was tied into Trigon or the flame demons there was nothing. It was an unsettling idea in Robin's mind that whoever was responsible was still out there somewhere, and that there was still the possibility that individual was Slade. For the moment, Robin was putting his concentration into upping the ante on his team's abilities. In the short run, it seemed to be paying off.

"Do you really think the five of us and our new friend can make that kinda difference?" Cyborg queried.

"I don't know. I just know we can't sit around and wait. That's why I need you to call me in a favor."

"Oh, really?" Cyborg raised his brow. "This who I think it is? What, you don't think they'd listen to you?"

"They would," Robin grinned, "but they seem to like you more."

Cyborg simply smiled. "Aw, I feel so loved all of a sudden. Ain't it great?" Cyborg enjoyed his moment for a bit longer before jabbing Beast Boy in the shoulder. "Now, get yo' butt to the start line and beat Star's time!"

"Ow!" Beast Boy complained. "I'm going, jeez!"

Robin looked back to the Tower towards the wing that held Raven's room. Inside, he knew that their success was probably sitting directly on Raven's shoulders. No one could possibly be more aware of that than Raven, herself.

-

* * *

-

"I haven't tried a spell like this one, before," Raven muttered, sprinkling a final ingredient into the plate in front of her. Just on the other side of the plate was Zerrich, sitting between two flames. Raven also had candles on either side, all a part of the mystery ritual.

"I learned it recently," Zerrich answered as he traced the stick in his hand through the pile, creating a strange symbol. "I was hoping to make it useful if it turned out we could be allies."

"You're sure it'll work like it's supposed to?" Raven queried. Zerrich had explained the use of the spell to her. The incantation, according to him, would allow a clear connection between their abilities and enhance their coordination when using magic together. Anything that could help harmonize their efforts in the coming battle would be quite useful.

"I memorized the way the spell was to be performed. Just say the incantation as I do." Zerrich finished with the symbol in the mixed pile of sand and other dusts on the plate. He then reached to his side and took a good pinch of some kind of powder between his fingers. Raven watched as he sprinkled it precisely within the traced lines of symbol within the pile. He then reached for the same stick as before, held it over the flame to his left and then touched it to the plate of ingredients. The symbol flared to life, glowing in between the two mages.

"We're ready. Give me both your hands."

Raven nodded, knowing her part was coming up. "If I turn into some fluffy rabbit instead, I'm going to kill you."

"Try not to distract me," Zerrich said, fighting off a smirk. "I'm not as good at emotional control as you."

"Sorry," Raven recovered. She reached out with both arms on either side of the plate in front of her. Zerrich took her hands as she closed her eyes. He started the verse once through, and on the second chant, Raven joined in. After a few chants in, she felt oddly cold at her sides. Had the candles next to her gone out? Even with her lids shut, she could sense a bright light in front of her penetrating the protective skin over her eyes. She concentrated on the spell, rhythmically chanting the words in unison with Zerrich.

At some point into the spell, she could feel a strange sense in her mind. It was almost a tingling sensation. However, it didn't last long. It took a moment for her to realize it, but the tingling started traveling down her neck and to her chest, then to the pit of her stomach. She grew slightly startled as she felt the demon inside of her surface a moment. She realized the tingling had come back up to her shoulders, and it began to branch down her arms. Her chanting grew louder.

The tingling sensation grew stronger. Raven's arms felt almost like they were burning, but there was no pain. The sensation was flowing through her arms, feeling as if it was disappearing through her fingertips. The demon inside suddenly began to shrink. No…not shrink. The blackness of her father's side was still there, but its influence, its power, was fading away and becoming distant. The energy flowing through her arms seemed to come directly from the pit of her stomach. Directly from her soul.

Raven's powers…

"Stop!" she shouted, pulling away from Zerrich. She opened her eyes to a blinding yellow light, which dissolved as soon as she had let go of Zerrich's hands. The symbol in the pile of ingredients ceased glowing, though all four candles were still lit. Raven looked up at Zerrich, ready to question him about what he was trying to do, but his expression stopped her. He was looking at his open hands in confusion. He flexed them slightly then looked up at Raven.

"This isn't right," he whispered between the two of them.

"What just happened?" she asked, sternly.

Zerrich shook his head, still confused. "I don't…I'm not entirely sure." He put his hands down, standing up slowly.

Raven grew wary of the situation. That was when she noticed something. Her instinct started suppressing her emotions, but the weight of power that usually fought back wasn't there. At least, it wasn't there at full strength. She thought back to the power flowing from her limbs, and her mind concentrated on the blackness within her that now felt very distant…

…_Oh no!_

Raven got up quickly. "Zerrich, it is important that you keep control of your emotions."

Zerrich looked back to Raven, cocking his head sideways. "I'm not sure I…"

"You have some of my power," she warned. "I think some of my soul-self transferred into you during the spell."

Comprehension spread across Zerrich's face, and he looked to his arms. "That's what that was. Something seemed to course through my arms, directly into me. I thought it was part of the ritual."

"I don't think so," Raven shook her head. "I don't know what spell you memorized, but I doubt this was meant to happen. Right now, you need to stay focused."

Zerrich looked around, almost as if he were attempting to look within himself. "No. No, this was definitely not supposed to happen."

"Zerrich," Raven said, firmly. "Please concentrate. I don't think I need to explain why."

Zerrich put his arms down, but he still looked as if he were contemplating the situation. Raven didn't blame him. Then, Zerrich looked over at her. "Shouldn't I be feeling something? Some dark evil…thing from deep within pushing to take over?"

It was then that Raven reached out with her mind, searching for the darkness of her soul within Zerrich. She couldn't sense anything.

Raven looked back to him. "Zerrich, you do something that blocks my telepathic ability. I need you to stop so I can…I need to get a better idea of what has happened."

Zerrich's brow rose slightly. "Oh, that. It's a ward. I'll have to soften it a moment. The spell doesn't take well to being removed prematurely."

Raven shook her head. "I'll ask you about that later. How long does it…"

Raven stopped her question, as Zerrich had already closed his eyes and was muttering something quietly. Raven increased her senses and concentrated on Zerrich's presence. She felt her own familiar power stirring within him, but she was surprised when she discovered the darkness that usually accompanied it was not there. She searched for a few moments longer before relaxing her mind.

"I don't understand," she said at last. "My power is fueled by my father's side. It's inherently evil."

Zerrich cocked his head. "Maybe there's still a separation."

"How could there be?"

"Think about it for a moment. The thing your power comes from is evil. The power itself, however, is simple energy. If the spell inadvertently siphoned the energy alone…"

"It would leave the dark influence behind," Raven finished. "Right."

Zerrich relaxed a bit then brought his hand up to shoulder level. He balled up his fist slowly, as if he were feeling something in his grasp. "If I delve deep enough, I can sense it. There's more power there."

"My power," Raven retorted. She looked to the floor a moment as she contemplated. The demon inside was quieter, muffled. The power it wielded was suddenly not as accessible as before.

"A spell to help balance our power," Raven scoffed. "By evening both our levels out."

Zerrich shook his head. "The spell was supposed to make us more in tune with each other's abilities. I don't think it meant sharing energy this literally…"

That was the moment the room turned red, and the warning klaxon blared to life along with it.

"You probably read the instructions wrong," Raven shot over her shoulder as she practically flew past Zerrich and out her front door. She didn't wait for his response as she made her way to the garage.

-

* * *

-

A stray speck of gravel plinked against the closed visor of Robin's helmet as he drove along side the T-car on his custom motorcycle. Both vehicles sped down the street as quickly as they could to their target destination. Starfire flew just behind the group, keeping up with ease. Cyborg was in his favorite place at the wheel with Beast Boy riding shotgun, and Raven and Zerrich in the backseats. Robin couldn't help but take a quick glimpse to his right at Zerrich. He had come along with the team to a few of the recent missions. It was Robin's decision, ultimately. If Zerrich were going to be at the tower, he would have to earn his keep somehow. That, and it made it easier for Robin to keep an eye on him.

It wasn't that Zerrich hadn't earned any respect from the Titan leader, though the trust factor hadn't been entirely resolved. Robin could name a few reasons why he wasn't letting go, a big one being Zerrich not coming forward about his true intentions to begin with. The other big one that bothered Robin was the fact that Zerrich had been willing to come to blows with Raven early on. Though, Robin had to be fair. Raven admitted to being the one that initiated each attack they'd had. Still, he could somewhat understand her reaction given the mystery about Zerrich. Maybe it was simply Robin being overprotective about his teammates.

The T-car veered right on a cross street, and Robin lurched the R-cycle over to keep with the team. It was that moment that the thick black smoke that could be seen from the Tower had come back into view. Only now, they could see the fire peeking up above the blocks of buildings still between it and the Titans. No cameras or information on the situation had come through except one thing. Something was on a rampage.

"All right, Cyborg," Robin spoke into his comm. "Let's double-time it. Step on the gas!" At the same time, Robin put up two closed fingers and double-pointed ahead of him. He knew Starfire had gotten his signal, and he gunned the engine for all it was worth. The fire itself was getting larger in front of them. It was partly because they were getting closer, but also because the rampage was extending.

"Let's find out who this creep is," Robin said to the team, "and take him down!" Robin brought two fingers skyward, pointing up twice for Starfire to climb higher into the air for a better vantage point. The team followed the street path ahead of them, turning at certain blocks to gain access to shortcuts.

"_I cannot see any culprit to this crime,_" Starfire's voice burst through the comm. link in Robin's helmet. "_I can only see the many burning buildings. The fire is spreading fast!_"

"We're almost there!" Robin yelled into his helmet. "See if you can scout ahead, but don't get into any skirmishes until we can arrive." A moment later, Starfire flew ahead of the team; pocketing the small comm. device she had just finished using. The smoke ahead of the two vehicles started to get thick, and Robin switched on his helmet's heat vision to pierce through it. Brilliant white plumes were visible on the grayscale image of the block ahead of them. They were everywhere; coming out of windows, from husks of cars parked on the curbs or right in the middle of the road, from burning trees or anything else that could have been flammable. Luckily, the populace had mostly fled at this point, so the entire area was theirs. Still, there was no sign of any villain anywhere. Were they too late?

The smoke cleared as the Titans hit the center of the blaze, and everyone stopped where they were. Robin yanked off his helmet as he jumped from his bike, joining the team near the T-car. Starfire came from the sky, landing behind the group. It wasn't a moment later that a large fireball flew across the street in front of the Titans. Before it could hit the buildings on the other side, however, it streaked straight up.

"Okay, then," Cyborg began, "I'm thinkin' that wasn't some stray blast."

Sure enough, the ball of fire curved back around and headed for the ground. It slammed hard into the street, sending fire and debris in all directions. When the smoke and fire cleared, all the Titans could see was a blue flesh-looking envelopment sitting in the center of the new crater, small touches of fire slowly snuffing themselves out. It took a moment for the team to realize what they were looking at.

Wings. A pair of them, enveloping whatever manner of creature dwelled within. The blue wings slowly unwrapped themselves from their tight coil, the spindly skeleton within the elastic flesh relaxing and retracting away. The creature suddenly stood up, towering a good ten feet tall. The creature stretched its wings out to its sides before curling them up behind his shoulders. His powerful arms came out slightly extended from his body, the flesh-pink of his jagged claws flaring out from his extended fingertips. His head came up from its lowered position, and where there should have been eyes, red flames flared brightly from his eye sockets. Just above the lights of his eyes, a single horn grew from his forehead, the deep blue morphing into the blood red color of its tip. The long, thin mustache and forked goatee framed his dagger-like teeth as he bared them.

"Please, don't tell me," Beast Boy said from Robin's side, trying to hide his worry.

"_Firnusium_," Zerrich growled.

"Dude!" Beast Boy complained. "What did I just say!"

"In this form?" Raven questioned shaking her head, "I've never heard of one…"

"Fire is their main form," Zerrich said. "Not their only."

The creature took a step onto its elongated heel, letting its claws dig into the broken concrete as it started to walk. It growled a sound like molten lava threatening to explode into the sky. Robin crouched, grabbing for the explosive discs attached to his belt.

"Titans, G-"

Robin got no chance to finish as a ball of fire blasted from the flesh-colored claws of the demon's right hand. The team scattered as the blast of fire slammed into Robin's R-cycle. The vehicle didn't explode, but the bike itself was sent flying backwards to skid to a halt some twenty feet away. Robin had instinctively jumped to his left, rolling into a crouch and quickly looking for his team. . Raven and Starfire had already taken to the sky, Cyborg had leapt clear over the T-car and Beast Boy had simply disappeared. Before Robin could fear the worst, a green T-Rex took form seemingly from nowhere.

Figuring Beast Boy had morphed into something tiny enough during the initial attack, Robin went back for the discs at his belt and threw them forward. The blue creature swatted the explosions away, then charged for the green dinosaur in front of him. Beast Boy lowered his head to ram into the demon, but the opponent latched onto the top of Beast Boy's head as the Titan followed through. The T-Rex's head snapped up, but the demon would not be flung loose. No one dared fire at the demon as it clung to Beast Boy, snarling and thrashing his head back and forth to no avail. Robin tried to take advantage of the situation, climbing up Beast Boy's back and towards the enemy with his bo-staff extended. He took a flying leap towards the creature, but it let go with one arm and caught Robin's staff in mid swing. Flicking its wrist, the staff and Robin were tossed over the side of the green dinosaur and out of the way.

Robin tuck-rolled and landed as best he could, looking back in time to see a bright explosion of fire envelope the head of the dinosaur. When the flash died away, the humanoid form of Beast Boy slumped forward unconscious. The blue demon landed on its feet from falling higher up, its wings billowed out menacingly.

"I don't know who you think you are," Robin said, menacingly, "but we're sending you right back where you came from."

The creature stopped a moment, turning its head to Robin. The next moment, a mixture of green starbolts and blue sonic energy slammed into the demon's front and back, followed by a large car from above. The car caused the creature to drop to one knee. Starfire flew by, and Raven and Zerrich hovered from just above the action. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon again at the creature, causing it to stagger only slightly. Extending its lighter blue wings, the flame demon bucked the vehicle off its back and stood up. It sent a fireball at Zerrich, then turned its fiery gaze onto Raven. A blue field of energy encased Zerrich as the fire blasted harmlessly around him, but Raven stayed where she was.

The demon turned its head back to Robin, baring his teeth. "I am called," the molten voice began to speak, "Scourge. And I have found that which I have been sent for." It turned back to Raven, extending its claws for the girl in the air. A blast of fire shot from Scourge's hand, and Raven was forced to put up her defenses. The blast of fire forked into five individual streams of flame, arching around the protected Raven and wrapping back around until she was surrounded in a large net of flame. Robin grabbed a new set of discs from his belt, tossing three at the demon ahead of him. The devices exploded on contact, causing the air around the creature to drop in temperature rapidly. Columns of block ice formed around the monster, keeping it contained.

The deep blue demon under the ice began to glow until a body of flame danced about within the icy tomb. The frozen columns had no chance, shattering from the intensity of the flames and evaporating before they could touch ground. The body of flame extended fiery wings, and the entire ball of fire sped towards Robin. He was quick to dive out of the way, using a fourth freeze disc to create a temporary wall behind him. The ice again shattered when the creature's left wing sliced through it, but it served enough purpose to keep Robin from getting roasted. Sonic blue energy and green starbolts strafed at the fire creature, sinking into the flames of its body and doing absolutely nothing.

Robin looked back to Raven, still fighting to break the fire trap around her. Zerrich took a moment to harness his energy before blasting at one side of the net. It surprised Robin when the line of flames shattered like a solid object, snuffing out as the particles fell. The entire trap flared apart and disappeared, and both mages reentered the fight. Robin turned back to the fire creature, throwing another freeze disc into the center of the moving flames. It exploded, but it only succeeded in spraying a fine mist of evaporating water, never getting the chance to form into its ice block.

_Stop, damn it. You know this isn't working!_

The Titans reorganized and began their team tactics. Starfire quickly flew above Robin and scooped him up out of the way of a large fireball, Zerrich and Raven criss-crossed in the air as they maintained constant streams and pulse blasts of energy and Cyborg maintained strafing fire along the ground as he got to the fallen Beast Boy and hauled the green Titan over his shoulder. The fire demon crashed through a building window, sending fire everywhere. An explosion happened two levels up, and the same ball of fire raced through another window back out into the open. The flames fell away from Scourge as he flew towards Raven again, both of them stories above the streets. This time, his fists were surrounded in balls of fire, and Scourge blasted them ahead of Raven's flight path. She spun and corkscrewed in the air, returning fire with volleys of black magic. The beast took a few hits before he began swatting them away with his huge claws. Scourge continued his attacks.

Starfire maneuvered Robin in behind the demon, trying her best to keep up. The creature was simply too fast, and with the volley of fire keeping Raven from flying a straight path, it was gaining ground on her. Robin reached for his grappling hook, hoping to latch onto the monster's feet and keep with him. Before he could bring it out, a heavy stream of blue energy from above sliced across the air from one block to another. It made contact with Scourge's back, causing him to falter ever so slightly. Starfire and Robin gained on him a little. Another stream of blue energy attacked the demon from above. This time the entire blast stayed on him, and the Firnusium dipped a few stories down. Robin had his grappling hook out, and Starfire dove after the demon, gaining on the creature as it recovered. Robin found his shot and fired.

The grappling hook shot forward, wrapping around Scourge's left ankle. The demon's wings expanded out as he pulled for the sky. Starfire couldn't compensate in time, and the grappling line went taut. Starfire let Robin go, allowing him to keep with the target. The Boy Wonder's thumb clicked the side button, winding the line back in and getting him closer to the winged creature ahead of him. After dodging another of Zerrich's shots, Scourge reached back for his ankle. His claws curled around the cable attached to his leg, and with very little effort he severed the line.

Immediately, Robin started to descend. With his line broken, there was no way to grapple anything and swing to safety. His worry lasted all of a moment, though, as Starfire was close by to lend him a hand before he could become a mess on the street below. Both settled to the ground gently then looked up. Raven had come back around and was trying to keep ahead of the fire demon. Scourge, however, was too busy in an aerial skirmish with Zerrich. Brilliant flares of fire and streams of blue energy blasted across the sky as the two combatants dueled. A ball of flame exploded around a solid blue barrier as Zerrich defended himself. The counterattack was another dead-on blue stream of powerful energy, knocking Scourge back.

Robin suddenly realized something. Zerrich had never used streams of energy like that before. His attacks always came in pulses; balls of energy launched from his hands. The only time his energy appeared solid was when he formed his defenses, but there was never any blast power involved. Had he been holding back until now? Robin turned to see Cyborg and a much-better Beast Boy running up the way. Looking further up, Robin spotted Raven hovering in the air.

_Why isn't she attacking? What's she thinking?_

"Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg," Robin ordered, "get up there and help Zerrich beat that thing down."

The team reacted instantly, with Starfire flying straight for the battle and Beast Boy turning into a pterodactyl to carry Cyborg into the fray. Robin stayed below and simply watched the duel continue before the rest of the Titans could get back into it. He watched the power behind Zerrich's strikes, watched as the creature gave up maneuvering and opted to take on his fiery form. Was it really going to be this easy to defeat one of these fire demons after all?


	12. Encounter, Part II

**XII**

**Encounter, part II**

Zerrich reached into the pit of his stomach, calling the energy from his center into his hands. With little effort of his mind, he let loose a stream of powerful energy into the fireball that was Scourge. The fires lanced out, reforming on the other side of the attack. The fire demon turned for Zerrich, coming straight at him. Zerrich was quick to put up his defenses, allowing his entire self to be encased in a glowing blue shell. He felt the slight jarring of impact from outside, sure the fiery monster had made impact with his barrier. He usually felt a tug at his center when his fields would get hit, as if the energy from the impact vibrated its way down to his soul. Not this time.

Confident the creature had abandoned its attack, Zerrich dropped his shield and spun around. Sure enough, the flames had reformed into a burning creature with wings and limbs. It seemed to be angry, angrier than even its fiery appearance had meant to convey all on its own.

"My task is not with you!" came Scourge's voice. Its sound had an undertone that reminded Zerrich suddenly of the large concrete trapdoor from the warehouse weeks ago. The fire demon spun away, again going for the hovering Raven. It took very little time for Raven to react, throwing blasts of black energy into the creature's path. The first hit seemed to decimate the fiery head of the demon, until the flames reformed once the magic blast exploded. More throws of energy hit the creature's body. Scourge bucked in the air with each hit, but his momentum did not slow. Zerrich pushed forward, trying to catch up to the monster. Its large left arm reached out, became solid, and extended its claws for the girl in front of him.

A sonic blast slammed into the limb, pushing it off to the side. Scourge's body rotated with it, but just as quickly he twisted back around, striking at Raven backhanded. The dark girl put up a small black shield to counter the attack. On impact, Raven grunted and flew backwards. She was quick to bring herself to a stop but was given little time to recover before the Firnusium flew towards her again. Its body shed away the flames, and Zerrich took the moment to form a large sphere of blue energy. He could feel it building up between his hands, feel it increasing in power well beyond what he was used to. Long before this point, the energy would simply release and fly off on its own. Zerrich's only question was whether or not the effects from earlier were permanent.

When Zerrich was satisfied, he aimed both hands forward and released the energy ball. It sped across the sky, slamming against the demon's powerful back. Scourge actually accelerated towards Raven, and Zerrich feared he might have done worse with his attack. Then, the monster fell somewhat limp out of the sky. It dove, spun forward one hundred eighty degrees, kicked its feet under its body and extended its wings. Starbolts struck at the creature as he maintained his altitude, and a green pterodactyl swooped in close to give Cyborg another shot at the thing. The sonic blast tagged the creature's wing, and it spun partially from the impact before centering itself. The demon fired back with its own fireball, hitting Cyborg dead center and knocking him off the green flyer. Beast Boy was forced to dive after his buddy, removing two of the team from the fight for the moment.

Starfire swooped in again and fired a series of starbolts followed by a blast from her eyes. Raven let loose a beam of black magic at the same time. Zerrich added to the gang-up with his own blast of energy. Scourge braced himself against Raven's attack before swooping out of the way of Zerrich's. He flipped in the air, spread his wings out for stability, and then threw two balls of flame towards the Tamaranian. When Starfire began dodging the balls of fire, Scourge moved in with amazing speed. Zerrich tried to send a blast of energy to intercept the attacker, but he ducked under it. The creature was getting used to the speed of Zerrich's attacks. Starfire could do nothing to avoid the monster coming up on her, and she grunted when his powerful arm swatted her out of the sky. Her limp form shot towards the ground like a meteorite, plowing hard into the street below in a blast of debris and smoke.

Scourge turned his head back to Raven. "I shall have you, girl," he growled at her. With the same speed as before, he darted for her position.

"No!" she shouted, blasting at him with a stream of black energy. Zerrich made to intercept the creature as it sliced through the middle of the blast, cutting through all the way to Raven. A set of claws pierced through the magic between Raven's hands, reaching for her neck. Zerrich had a ball of energy ready, but this time he chose to try something different. He waited until he was right on top of the creature, it's sickly pink claws about to grab Raven.

"She said, NO!" he shouted as he released the energy at point-blank. Blinding light forced Zerrich to close his eyes, but the instant the power left his hands a new barrier took its place. He sensed more than felt the blast against his field, wondering how bad the effect had been on Raven. After a quick moment, Zerrich dropped his field and looked around.

Raven was much further away, a black energy field dissolving from her fingertips. It looked like she had gotten her barrier up late as her eyes winced in pain or weariness. Quickly, Zerrich's head turned towards Scourge. The demon was a good distance away, holding a claw to the side of his gut as his leathery wings flapped to keep him in place. Zerrich gathered more energy, firing a stream ahead of him. Scourge curled up within his wings, dropping just below the blast before extending them again and maneuvering out of the way. Zerrich flew after him.

The demon moved too sporadically, and Zerrich held his fire to avoid damaging the city blocks much further. When Scourge straightened to turn back around, Zerrich took advantage and unleashed a powerful blast. The energy plastered across the creature's back. Its wings folded up and out of control for a moment before flapping down and regaining control. Zerrich fired again, hitting his target on the left wing. Scourge rolled with the hit, coming full around and throwing a fireball ten feet in diameter straight for the man from Azarath. Zerrich put up his protection, feeling the fireball surround him and dissolve. When the field dropped again, Scourge was no longer in front of him.

"He's right below you!" Raven warned from behind, firing a stream of black energy at the creature. Zerrich, however, wasn't fast enough, and a large claw came up and swiped him across his own back. The impact itself was jarring, causing Zerrich to grunt and almost fold backwards. His body spun out of control, and before Zerrich could stop his forward tumble he slammed shoulder-first into the side of a building. The old brick cracked and broke away at the impact point, and Zerrich lost his concentration. He immediately began falling towards the street below, too far down for a safe landing. He reached out with his good arm and grabbed onto a window ledge, ending his plummet with a violent stop that finished with Zerrich again slamming into the side of the building.

Wasting no time, Zerrich immediately concentrated on trying to heal his wounds…and was surprised at the speed in which the pain left his body. The gashes in his back were no longer throbbing, and his shoulder had started to feel more like a mere bruise. He took a deep breath, let go of the window ledge and floated back out to the battle. Scourge was, again, chasing after Raven. The dark girl attacked the Firnusium with everything she had left, and it was just enough to hold the creature off while Starfire gained altitude below them. Green starbolts shot up at Scourge, tagging him in all sorts of places. A sonic blast followed shortly after as Cyborg and Beast Boy once again entered the fray. Zerrich hurried to join the reformed team in the air. Scourge turned to face the other attackers, holding off Starfire first.

When Starfire was forced to dodge the creature's onslaught of fireballs, Scourge went straight for Cyborg and Beast Boy. It turned to flames as Cyborg fired his sonic cannon. The fiery mess separated and allowed the energy to fly past before reforming. Then, Scourge slipped out of the flames, going for Cyborg head-on. Beast Boy couldn't maneuver fast enough, and Scourge violently slammed Cyborg off the pterodactyl's back. Cyborg went flying back until he crashed through the window of a nearby building. Before the creature could turn around and attack Beast Boy, a large bus encased in black energy plowed into Scourge from below. Its body sank through the front of the bus, debris flying everywhere. The crashing sound of the large vehicle being speared down the center echoed off the building walls, and the demon was pushed higher into the air.

That was when the center of the bus exploded out as Scourge freed himself from the wreckage. What remained of the upper and lower halves of the vehicle stayed suspended in the air for a moment before beginning their plummet along with the rest of the debris. In that instant, Zerrich fired another stream of energy into the monster, and the impact pushed the Firnusium out of the aerial mess. When Scourge turned to face Zerrich, the man was already slamming his fists into the monster's stomach. Scourge was quick to grab Zerrich's arms by the elbows, but Zerrich had already begun powering up his fists with energy, energy that had no other place to go but straight into Scourge. It was a trick he'd learned about the hard way.

It was the second blinding explosion Zerrich had winced at, but this time the brunt of the energy went into his opponent. The monster fell out of the sky, smoke trailing from his midsection. Zerrich dove after him to finish the job. Scourge barely had time to spread his wings and slow his decent, putting out his feet and landing hard on the ground. Zerrich landed a good block away, reaching deep within his center to find the energy he needed to begin this final round. His eyes began to glow white, his hands surrounded in crackling blue energy. Scourge turned around to face this attack, his own eyes still burning bright. The monster looked prepared to pound his opponent into the ground, regardless of his chances for success. Zerrich took a deep breath…

The man from Azarath suddenly exhaled quickly, gasping for another breath. His vision blurred slightly, and he began to feel dizzy. His breathing became rapid, as the air around him never seemed enough. The energy surrounding his hands dissipated, flashing quietly as it flew in all directions. Zerrich found it hard to stand. He quickly caved to one knee, the world around him sinking away and coming back into focus for moments at a time.

_T…t-the, hell…_

Shaking his head only made things worse, and Zerrich had to reach for the ground with his hand to keep from completely falling over. Then, even that didn't stop him. He tumbled to his side, his head landing against the concrete harder than he could control. The world around him suddenly darkened. Everything went black, except for those fiery eyes in front of him.

-

* * *

- 

Raven watched the spectacle below. She watched as the two combatants landed on the top of the street's T-section at opposite ends. She watched as they held their ground and prepared to face off one more time. She watched as Zerrich collapsed to the ground. Immediately, she knew the cause: the energy boost had left him. Worse, it seemed to have the aftereffect of wearing Zerrich out. Raven instinctively started flying to Zerrich's aide, and as she flew she watched Scourge's body become flame once again. This time, the flames increased with intensity, flaring all about. The monster's fiery wings spread out as far as they could, allowing the flames to dance in all directions. Then, the beast took a massive step forward, and every bit of fire blasted ahead of him…right for Zerrich.

The fire, however, did not simply become a giant ball of flame. It continued to stream from Scourge like a condensed wave. The continuous wall of fire blasted forward, tearing up the concrete, sidewalk and anything near enough to be ripped from its foundation. Zerrich didn't move. Starfire was behind Raven, two blocks away. Just below Raven was Robin, sprinting towards the action as fast as he could. Raven knew that neither would be fast enough. She was the one with the best proximity and speed in this situation. Besides that, she was the only one that could put up any kind of defense against the destructive power of these flames. But, Raven was tired. She had found herself more exhausted than normal with only one reason in her mind as to why. She buried the thought and concentrated on the task in front of her.

As Raven pushed forward, a sudden fear entered her mind. She started realizing she wasn't going to reach Zerrich in time. She pushed the emotion away, preventing it from distracting her. Still, the logic in the emotion was accurate; Raven was a half step too far out. Her mind pushed at her body again, a flash of desperation filling her soul. For a fleeting moment her determination commanded her powers beyond their normal scope, even with her condition. That moment was enough, and Raven found herself suddenly in between the flame wave and the unconscious Zerrich. She screeched to a halt as she felt the burning fire on her back, chanted out loud and put her hands high in the air. Black energy crackled to life, starting from behind her and enveloping both Raven and Zerrich inside.

Her chest and stomach seemed to cave in as the flames attacked the barrier from outside. It was a relentless assault, vibrating and rumbling the field, her body, her mind and her soul down to every particle and fiber. She begged her powers for more energy, but her magic only dwindled the more time passed…the more the fires outside continued. Sweat poured down her face as she grimaced, feeling the burden from outside her defenses continuing to gnaw at her. It finally became too much, and she couldn't hold the field any longer. She screamed out, her mind desperately trying to keep the grip on her powers strong. It proved futile as the energy simply slipped away from her. Finally, with the fires outside still going, her black energy barrier shattered.

-

* * *

- 

Robin made a mad dash for Zerrich's position. He was way too far away, and the stream of fire easily as tall as Scourge tore its way right for him. Above, Raven sped through the air. She passed him up in no time, and his sprint simply died away. He watched her land with a last-second dash in front of the fires. She was quick to putting up a barrier of black magic, and an instant later the black dome was engulfed in flames.

The fire kept coming. Robin's eyes widened as he realized the attack wasn't going to simply end. His sprint came back to life just as Starfire flew overhead. He grabbed for a pack of explosive discs, and Starfire unleashed a fury of starbolts. The creature's wings extended, becoming a wall of flame that shielded its body from the green orbs and eyeblasts. The stream of fire continued. Raven and Zerrich were still somewhere underneath…if Raven's defenses could hold. Robin was close enough now to throw his explosive discs, but they did very little on impact. Concrete, sidewalk, mailboxes, ruined debris fallen from the buildings above and all sorts of other junk Robin couldn't readily identify were torn up and flying alongside the wall of flame. What didn't catch fire or melt simply tumbled along in the fire's wake.

Finally, Scourge could maintain the onslaught no longer, and the stream of fire stopped. It tore through the street until it finally passed and revealed in its tail a disintegrating sheen of protective black energy. The garbage and debris continued to tumble along at viciously high speeds, clattering along the ruined ground until they could come to a stop.

One way or another…

-

* * *

- 

It was a struggle for Zerrich to regain consciousness. His eyes simply refused to open, and while his brain was telling his arms to push off the ground he wasn't entirely sure if they truly were. Then the light changed in brightness through his closed eyelids, as did the temperature. The air seemed to be burning. Following that realization was a blast of burning wind like a shockwave from some massive explosion. Debris and rock pelted and stung Zerrich's body, seeming to help bring him out his daze. His eyes opened to a blur. Just in front of him was Raven, her arms outstretched. He couldn't entirely be sure through his blurred vision, but she looked to be wincing hard. Suddenly she fell to her knees exhausted, her arms dropping to her sides. The burning wind had stopped.

Zerrich quickly realized through his haze that she must have done something to save him. He struggled to stand, but Zerrich found that even his ability to get up was terribly hindered. Fighting against it did nothing but wear him out. He looked over to Raven. She seemed to be gazing directly at him. He couldn't quite make out her face enough to tell.

"Y…" Raven started to talk, "…o-okay?"

Zerrich couldn't get his lips to move, opting instead to just nod an affirmative.

Raven didn't speak again, her head dropping down in exhaustion. Then, her entire body fell forward and collapsed on the pavement just to Zerrich's right. She had used every bit of her strength in whatever she had done. Suddenly, Zerrich's attention was taken away from her exhaustion, concentrating on something that now caught his eyes. Was he hallucinating? He tried desperately to clear his vision, to bring into focus what he was seeing. At a perfect ninety-degree angle from Raven's body was an object standing straight as a flagpole. The double-sight cleared as Zerrich forced his eyes to focus, and he realized what he was seeing.

It was a structural support bar. Humans called it re-bar. And it was sticking out of Raven's back.

"Nnn-nn…" Zerrich tried to say outloud. He reached weakly with his left hand, pushing at the girl's shoulder. She had fallen at just the right angle that Zerrich could roll her body without much effort. He looked to her stomach, his own clenching tight at what he saw. The end of the re-bar was protruding through the material of her leotard. Desperate, Zerrich placed his hand above her stomach, calling what energy he had to attempt to heal her in any way he could. His hand barely took on a glow as what little power he'd recovered drained from him in two seconds with no effect, save one. Zerrich's eyelids became too heavy to hold open, and just as his hand slipped to the concrete, the man from Azarath once again fell unconscious.

-

* * *

- 

Scourge took in the sight of his fire blast as it tore down the paved ground. Chunks of it tore away simply from being too close to its power. When he could not sustain the attack any longer, he released the fire and let it finish its travel. This lone target had done enough, and when signs of his weakness came to the surface—whatever its cause—Scourge had taken advantage. Now, the fires of his home would incinerate this weakling's body. Nothing would be left.

This is what the Firnusium had thought as he released his power. When the flames finally passed, a new figure had found herself between Scourge and his opponent. It was _her_, the primary being he had been summoned for. Her head dropped, the rest of her falling over in a slump. Scourge became very aware of the piece of structure sticking out her back. It was a piece of debris from the fire blast's wake. He found it peculiar that the flames themselves found little effect on the girl, but this single piece of twisted metal could have possibly slain her…

Scourge grunted suddenly. He folded inward, and just as he'd felt once before in his existance his head became a chamber of pain. He yelled out, the sound vibrating the very ground he stood on. His vision filled with starlines of red, the high pitched broken sound in his ears nearly deafening him. He clutched at his head, trying to keep everything still to no avail. He dropped to his knees, ready to crush his own skull to make the pain stop.

"NO!" he shouted to no one in particular. "It was not my intention!"

The torture did not end. The red streaks in his vision started to blind him as the sound in his ears grew louder. The world around him seemed to disappear and become unimportant. He tried to fight against the agony, to fend it off and come to his senses. The torture would not let him

"WHY!" he screamed. He didn't need to ask the question. He knew why, and he knew by whom. His master was punishing him. He was to bring the girl alive, not slain. His master seemed to know exactly what had happened. Could he have truly been watching him, seeing his every action? Through the pain, a sense of doubt entered Scourge's tortured mind. If his master truly could see all, he would have no need for Scourge or others of his kind to search the various dimensions in pursuit for this one prize. Still, the pain held against his mind.

Scourge forced himself to his feet, roaring with frustration. He would have to get away. If it was the end for him then there was nothing he could do, but if his target were to survive his presence would only hinder that. These weak fleshlings would be granted their chance to save his objective from death. If they could be successful, he would return for her. Failure would simply mean his own destruction as well. His wings spread, and Scourge—his hands still clutching the sides of his skull—leaped into the air and away from the scene of destruction.

-

* * *

- 

The large monitor displayed most of the carnage in downtown Jump City. However, most of the tape was from a distance, as local law enforcement deemed the area hazardous even from the air. News choppers had spectacular views of the disaster from too far off to give any specific information.

For the most part, it didn't matter. He knew what was going on. The demon creature had arrived. The man watching the monitor limped slowly to his lone seat as he took in the reports. The creature had started its rampage where it had arrived, and sure enough the Teen Titans had arrived to stop it. Excellent. The Titans could always be counted on to show up. It was exactly how he wanted it.

Still, with the news coverage from too far away, he could not decipher precisely what was going on. Fires raged from everywhere, explosions occurred a number of times, and then the Titans left the scene. The creature had somehow disappeared without being caught by the cameras. However, if that had been the worst of the story, it would have made little difference. Enough time had passed that the demon should have come along by now. He was nowhere to be found.

The man stretched his legs out as he sat, pondering where the demon menace would have gone. The monster had no way of returning home without another ritual cast to open the portal between their dimensions. Where could the demon have flown off? This would not do. The man reflected on past months as he laced his fingers together in his lap. He had studied the Azarath language from the recovered artifacts stolen from the target Titan. He had traversed the barrier between Earth and the realm of the Firnusium—spent over a week speaking to the monsters that dwelled there about the offspring of Trigon and where she could be found. The flame demons responded, saying that many had made such a claim. They also stated that the realm holding Earth had been searched previously with no results. The fiery creatures had prepared to dismantle the man's protective warding and destroy him.

But he had been ready. He informed them that enough time had passed, and that the child had come to his planet within recent years. When they showed their doubt he disregarded all explanations, properly requesting the appropriate party be sent to Earth and investigate the planet again. He performed the request ritual with practiced ease, guaranteeing cooperation. The man would play the part of intermediary, which in the end would require the sent demon to report to him once contact had been made.

It had been hours since the conflict. The monster was nowhere in the city. The impact on the Titans was at least a partial mystery, as the camera crews had only caught the Titan's one vehicle leaving the scene. Damned Firnusium. He was the one who had summoned this creature. Still, this only granted him so much, for while he called this demon forth, he was not the one who commanded it.

Command. It was an issue that would change soon enough if all went according to plan. The man allowed his hands to separate and relax along the armrests of his seat, the black and gray armor blending with the dark material of the chair. He held onto his last thought. Command. Ultimately, it was exactly that which he truly wanted. After all the research, all the studying, he was finally going to bring it all to fruition. Ultimate control would be his. All he needed to do was apply a little more patience.

His attention turned back to the reports of the monster on the loose. This fire demon would have nowhere else to go. It would have no way of going home except through the proper rituals, as well as knowledge of where to be and when. If the beast truly wanted to return to its realm, it would at some point have to come to him. And when it did, the true strategy would begin. Oh, the power that would be in his grasp. Finally, after everything, it would all be his. Moments like those were well worth waiting for. And they were well worth meticulously planning for. Nothing could afford to go wrong.

And if he had anything to say about it, nothing would.


	13. The Hunt

**XIII**

**The Hunt**

The first thing Zerrich noticed as he awakened was his level of strength. He felt as though he had just finished the greatest night's sleep in his life. The invigorating feeling was doused the moment he was conscious enough to comprehend past events. Then, his chest caved in around his heart. He shot up from the bed he was in, wincing as fastened tubes came loose from their mounts on his bare skin. The beeping machine next to him increased tempo as Zerrich looked around the room.

It had been the second time he'd awakened here. The last time, however, Raven was there to greet him. Now, Cyborg walked from the nearby door. He checked the mechanical equipment nearby before looking at Zerrich directly.

"Feelin' better?" Cyborg asked him.

"Raven," Zerrich stated as he tried to leave the bed.

"Hold on, now," Cyborg put a hand on Zerrich's shoulder, checking him out. "You first. You've been out most of the day. How's your strength?"

Zerrich looked at Cyborg as he considered the idea of pushing his request further. A moment later, he chose to answer. "I'm fine. My strength seems…better."

"That's good," came Robin's voice from the doorway. "Because we're going to need every bit of that energy when we go after Scourge."

Zerrich paused a moment. "Scourge. That's the monster's name?"

Robin nodded. "And he's still loose."

This time, Zerrich did get off the bed. He grabbed for his top and began to slide it on. "What has happened to Raven?"

Robin straightened himself and walked towards Zerrich. His face held a much harsher look than his usual stern appearance. "Fighting for her life."

Zerrich got the information he wanted. As soon as he had his vest-jacket fastened around him, he began walking around the infirmary. "Where is she?"

"Not here," Robin said as Zerrich simultaneously discovered the same.

He turned back around. "Take me to her."

"You have other plans," Robin stated.

"I'm a healer," Zerrich explained.

"Raven's told me."

"Then why are you fighting me?"

Robin walked towards Zerrich. "Because she can take care of herself."

"Raven's in some kinda healing trance," Cyborg added in. "It didn't kick in until we almost lost her."

"You put your hand to her wound," Starfire's voice came from behind Zerrich. She walked in from the outer hall. "I witnessed your attempts at healing her. What little you may have done helped keep her from death."

"But, I didn't have the strength. I tried, but I couldn't concentrate enough to…"

"It seemed to be enough afterall," Cyborg interrupted. "Even when they removed the rebar, there was no internal bleeding," he gave the specifics. "Your magic must've held it at bay. It kept just long enough for her own healing powers to take."

"She's still critical, but stable," Robin finished. "And, she's getting better. Right now, I need you to come with us. You went toe-to-toe with this thing the first time. I need that strength."

Zerrich shook his head. "That was a fluke. It wasn't even supposed to occur. Let me help Raven out of her trance. Whatever you wish done, I'm sure she's much more capable than—"

Robin took Zerrich's shoulder firmly. "I'm not going to debate this. You heal her, and I lose your full strength—whatever that might be. Besides, the last time Raven came out of a healing trance, she was exhausted the first few hours following. I can't risk having either of you that weak."

"And we gotta go," Cyborg said. "We've tracked Scourge some four cities away. He's stopped now, so we have a chance of getting out there and catching him."

"But we have to move now," Robin stated. "I need someone versed in these things, and you're it. As for your strength, you found a way to beat this thing down before. I'm sure you can help us find one again."

Zerrich watched the Titans as they geared up and prepared to move out. As much as he didn't quite trust in himself at the moment, Zerrich went to the temporary quarters he'd been given. There, he retrieved a particular tome before heading down to the garage. Everyone had already gotten inside the T-car, and Zerrich slid into the backseat. As Cyborg pulled out of the garage, Zerrich started searching for the few spells that had come to mind. Perhaps one of them would prove at least somewhat effective against this beast.

-

* * *

- 

The T-car's hover system cut the Titan's travel time down to minimal. Zerrich spent most of the trip reading through the tome he'd brought for anything useful. Most of the listed spells were not for specific targets or demons, but it was the best he could come up with. Zerrich looked up to the front of the car. Robin was in the passenger seat, opting not to take his R-cycle in order to keep the team together.

Zerrich couldn't help but rerun the conversation from the infirmary over in his mind. He still believed Robin should have allowed him to go and heal Raven. Granted, it was just as Robin had pointed out. There were tiring side effects to both exerting magic to heal as well as from coming out of a full-on healing trance. It didn't matter if the trance was interrupted by another's power, one still found it exhausting after a session.

In the end, Robin had probably been right. It bothered Zerrich that Robin would leave Raven behind, but this was his team. He knew them better than anyone else. If he truly felt Raven couldn't help herself, they wouldn't be on this wild chase across four cities. Zerrich would simply have to settle his mind on that.

There was still one thing that Zerrich couldn't shake. He didn't like the idea of leaving Raven behind. Not at all.

The target location was directly in front of them now. It was run-down, nearly abandoned save for the few hundred devoted locals that had probably been born and raised there, living in residential areas further off. Being such a small town, it was very easy to see the damage already done. Surprisingly, there really wasn't much. The team stopped and spread out across the town. At such a late hour, no one was out and about.

"Our boy didn't go on much of a rampage," Cyborg said. "Looks like he just wanted to stop for a bit."

"But, for what?" Robin questioned. "What could he want from some out of the way place like this? It wasn't just to rest. He went through three cities before turning out of his way to get here."

"Who knows?" Beast Boy said from Zerrich's right. "Let's just find him and see if we can't kick his butt this time."

"Perhaps it would be best if I scouted ahead," Starfire volunteered.

"Not this time," Robin shook his head. "I want us all to stick together. Cyborg has some readings on him from last time."

"S'right," Cyborg confirmed. "Shouldn't be too hard to find out where he's hunkered down."

"Titans," Robin commanded, "move out."

The team started into town, Cyborg waving his sensors around and following what leads he could find. Zerrich took the opportunity to walk alongside Robin.

"I got something wrong, before," he said.

"What is it?" Robin queried, not turning his head.

"Earlier, one of the partial symbols we found—it looked like the symbol for messenger. I had assumed it was referring to a messenger coming here. Either summoned here or sent here from elsewhere, but I had always assumed the messenger would come from another realm."

"What's your opinion now?"

"This creature is a scout. The messenger was whomever went to summon them."

Robin grimaced. "Slade, you mean."

"I was reading more into it. I think the broken images were talking of a formula to…_protect the messenger_. I had it backwards."

Robin looked at Zerrich. "And the message?"

"Guys," Cyborg's voice came from ahead. "I'm getting' some strong re-"

A sudden earthquake cut the Titan off, and a ball of flame exploded out of the ground from the local drainage system. Old pavement and dirt flew everywhere, and the fireball landed before taking on the shape of its demon form.

"You track me," the molten voice growled at them. "Yet, you do not bring my prize."

The monster took no time at all unleashing its energy on the team, fire flying in all directions. The team split up, and Zerrich put up a barrier to protect both him and Robin nearby. He turned his head to the team leader.

"The message was probably straight forward," Zerrich finished. "'Raven is here. Come claim her.'"

-

* * *

- 

As soon as the attack stopped and Zerrich's barrier was down, Robin was rolling out onto the field. He already had three explosive discs in hand, but the demon maintained its fiery form. He quickly put away the discs and pulled out a different set. The freeze discs he now grasped were modified to explode early when near a source of intense heat. They would do nothing to stop the creature, but they could help serve in slowing him down or interrupting a crucial attack.

Robin bolted for a good position, dodging hard to his right as an attack came straight for him. Pulses of blue and green energy came from opposite ends as Zerrich and Starfire pounded at the creature simultaneously. The fires that made up the beast swallowed the attacks with very little trouble, flaring out slightly from the impacts. As the creature made to counterattack, Robin saw his opportunity and threw two of the discs. They flew through the air on either side of the monster, exploding early and creating walls of ice on both sides. Scourge's fiery attacks hit the walls, halted for all of a moment before shattering and vaporizing the ice. The moment was enough as both opponents were able to fly clear of the strikes.

Zerrich fired back from the air this time, and Cyborg backed him up on the ground with a sonic blast of his own. Beast Boy flew directly over the monster in pterodactyl form, an old truck in tow. He dropped it on the creature's head, knocking it to the ground. However, the searing heat of Scourge's fire form melted through the truck's frame, and Scourge simply stood back on his fiery feet. The halves fell on either side of the beast, and it continued to attack the Titans. The team maintained their fight against the Firnusium, and the fires were starting to lash about angrily. Cyborg cued the other two blasters on the team, and all three fired at once against Scourge. It made a growling noise, and Robin knew it wasn't happy. The trio coordinated a second attack, striking again in unison. It wavered slightly before striking back at the team members.

Robin chucked an explosive disc during the third organized strike, causing the monster to roar into the night. It shed its fire form and took for the sky. Robin pulled out another freeze disc, throwing it ahead of the creature as it flew. Sure enough, the Firnusium's body temperature was hot enough to set the disc off early, and Scourge had no choice but to plow through a thick wall of ice in midair. It disrupted his ascent, and Zerrich was the first to take advantage. Three blasts of blue energy slammed into the creature's body, but while it wavered slightly there was little effect. Scourge threw a single ball of fire like a bullet at Zerrich. The man from Azarath was just as fast putting up his own protective barrier.

When the blue field dropped, Robin watched as Zerrich began chanting something. A moment later, a blue arc of power flew from Zerrich's fingers. Before they could make contact with Scourge, the beast returned to his fiery form. The energy danced around the flames, not able to have any kind of noticeable effect. A stream of sonic energy pierced the creature's form, and Scourge turned to face Cyborg on the ground. The Titan rolled out of the way as two balls of fire completely destroyed the pavement he had been standing on. Scourge's body returned to solid form before landing hard on his feet, causing the ground to shake. He showed no sign of weariness, turning to run straight for Robin.

The Boy Wonder had three explosive discs out, and he threw them for the creature as he began his own run. They made impact with Scourge, forcing him to slow in his charge. The explosions served more as cover while Robin made his approach, bringing his bo-staff out. He leaped over the explosions, swinging his staff from over his head straight down. Scourge raised his flesh-pink claws, catching the staff in hand. He twisted his wrist just slightly, and the staff snapped in two. Robin felt a sense of déjà vu as he landed on the ground with the rest of his bo still in his hand. He swung around and planted what was left hard against the creature's ankle.

The limb didn't even budge. What it did instead was kick into Robin's gut, sending him flying some twenty feet away. He landed hard, rolling to a stop. He looked over to see Zerrich attempting another spell, but Scourge was fast enough in returning to his fiery state before the magic could do whatever it had intended. There had to be some way to keep the creature in his solid form. He was still formidable even in that state, but they had a much better chance of defeating him solid than as fire.

_But, how?_

Cyborg hit the creature from behind with another sonic blast. The fires of the beast simply parted out of the way to allow the beam to continue through. The creature reformed and turned around, blasting at Cyborg with a huge fireball. Beast Boy was quick to swoop down and grab Cyborg before the blast could hit. Scourge chased after the two Titans, but Starfire came in from the monster's side with a strafing volley. Scourge changed directions immediately, charging Starfire down. He made no attempts to fire.

Instead, Scourge reached out with a fiery limb and grabbed Starfire before she could peel away. Wings of flame wrapped around and engulfed her, and she disappeared within the demon fireball. Robin was forced to do nothing but watch on the ground.

"STARFIRE!"

The other Titans were quick to pursue the beast, trying to blast at the flames without hitting Starfire. The only problem was that Starfire couldn't be seen. Every so often, a green flare would erupt from within the monster's body. All it seemed to do was cause the creature to spiral about. Robin took in the fact that at least Starfire was still alive, but even the Tamaranian was not invincible. They had to get her out of the monster's flames.

Robin watched as the other Titans chased the creature around the night sky. The rooftops of the small buildings were simply too low to give Robin the lift he was used to in the city. The creature's current fiery state would not allow him to use his grappling hook, though the fight was now too high up for him to reach anyway. Robin found it hard to control his emotions knowing Starfire was running out of time. He had to do something.

Robin pulled out his communicator, making contact with Cyborg. "Drive him closer to the ground! Get him to come down!"

The fight continued on above. Streaks of energy and fire flew everywhere, but in the midst of all the chaos was just enough movement towards the ground. Little by little, the fight was coming out of the sky. Robin made a mad dash to get directly under the combatants. When everything was as set as it was going to be, Robin clicked his communicator back on. "Try and hit him at the same time! Wear him out!"

Cyborg signaled to Zerrich, and both lined up to strike. As the beast pulled out of a spiral, the Titans were there to hit him. Blasts of energy struck the creature dead on. The flames exploded out, replaced from a seemingly infinite center of fire. Robin pulled out another freeze disc, chucking it hard at the monster above. It exploded early, but the chunk of ice continued towards Scourge until it struck him. Ice shattered and vaporized into nothing, but not before offsetting the beast. Two more simultaneous strikes from Cyborg and Zerrich forced the creature to return to its solid state. The fire shed from Scourge like an old skin, and the demon's wings spread back out to keep it in the air. Within its clutches was an unconscious Starfire.

Robin growled as the monster held Starfire over its head by her neck before hurling her at the Titans. Zerrich was quick to surround her in a blue barrier, gently bringing her to the ground. He landed next to her, tending to her wounds. Robin sprinted for her immediately. He could see her charred skin as he approached, and the sight made his heart collapse and stomach force bile near up to his throat. Her hair had burnt to above her shoulders, and what was left had blackened and curled. Her clothing was fused to her body, smoldering all over.

Just as he reached her and collapsed at her side, he noted the burns were not as bad as he originally had thought. Still, her eyes were closed, and she was unmoving. That was when Robin began to pay attention to the bright glow coming from Zerrich's hands. The man from Azarath grasped Starfire's wrist and lower arm sending his healing energy into her. Robin took a breath to ask the obvious question.

"I can take care of her," Zerrich muttered before Robin could speak, trying to keep his concentration. "Go."

Robin nodded once, getting up and sprinting back for Scourge. There were only Beast Boy, Cyborg and himself to face the Firnusium now. Scourge was quick at dashing across the ground for Cyborg, so quick that the Titan couldn't get out of the way in time. I balled fist crashed into Cyborg's chest, sending him backwards. Beast Boy was a second behind the attack, morphing into his T-Rex form and biting down on Scourge's body from behind. The ten-foot tall monster returned to his flame form, forcing Beast Boy to withdraw his attack. Scourge turned around to face the larger creature, ready to tear him apart.

Robin took the moment and threw two of his freeze discs. The devices exploded in front of and behind the demon, cutting off both his attack and escape route for the moment. Scourge increased his fury, letting the flames melt away at the barriers. During those few moments Robin attached a timed explosive disc to his newly heat-tempered birdarang. He wasted no time throwing it into the fiery monster. Before Scourge could take off, the disc exploded.

Flames scattered everywhere, the invisible blast-wave momentarily evident as the fires were pushed away. The inferno screamed as it rapidly devoured the oxygen around it in an effort to maintain itself. Quickly, the scattered fires reformed, flaring out as the monster underneath reappeared. His demeanor didn't phase, but the fact that he returned to his solid form was a sign in itself.

Beast Boy found his moment to retaliate, morphing into his sasquatch form. He grabbed the other beast around the neck, slamming it into the ground. Beast Boy growled as he slashed at the creature's face, causing very little damage. Scourge's flesh-colored claws shot upwards, grabbing at Beast Boy's own neck. Using one of his legs to kick Beast Boy's body up into the air, Scourge had no trouble driving the green creature into the concrete beside him. The dark ground cratered on impact, knocking Beast Boy out. Scourge lifted his other fist, rearing to drive it through the Titan's chest. Robin was fast to throw an explosive disc at the limb, but Scourge only fidgeted slightly before pulling back again for the blow.

A sonic wave slammed into Scourge's face, distracting him enough. Robin went full sprint with two bird-a-rangs in hand. Both flew for the creature's wrist, the one pressed against Beast Boy's neck. They would do little to hurt the creature on impact, but Robin had made his aim count. Both weapons slammed against the particular muscles bulging slightly at the wrist and forearm. The precise impacts forced Scourge's limb to twitch, his fingers momentarily releasing from around Beast Boy's neck.

The moment was enough as Cyborg, his metallic chest caved in and punctured, followed up with a second blast against Scourge's gut. The creature buckled slightly as Robin approached, rolling over Beast Boy and picking him up and away from the monster towering over him. Robin's roll came to an abrupt stop as Scourge quickly grabbed at his cape. Beast Boy tumbled out of harm's way, but now the Boy Wonder was in his place. He reached in his belt for another explosive disc, one of two he had left. As he was lifted into the air by his cape, Robin prepared to jam the disc into the demon's mouth.

There was a sudden blast of dark blue energy against the monster's body. The energy, instead of exploding as usual, cascaded around the demon before fading away. Robin used the moment to pull out his last bird-a-rang and sliced at his cape just above Scourge's grip. He tumbled to the ground, rolled to his feet, and finally fled from the monster as it slammed an open clawed hand into the concrete he'd landed on.

"The potency within you has diminished," Scourge said to his new attacker in a molten growl, retracting his claws from the concrete he'd pushed them into.

Zerrich stood on the other side of Robin, firing another quick blast at the Firnusium. Scourge put up a powerful arm, absorbing the blast and letting it surround the limb and dissipate. The creature then extended his arm, forming a ball of flame between its fingers. When the fire surrounded his hand, Scourge suddenly became confused. He scoffed as he fired the blast at Zerrich, but the man from Azarath extended a barrier around his left arm and swiped at the fireball coming at him. The flames dispersed violently, but they did no visible damage.

Zerrich smirked slightly. "So has yours."

The situation had changed. Robin knew it immediately. Evidently, so did Scourge. He growled and leaped for the air, only to get hammered by streaks and beams of bright green energy. Robin's inner excitement nearly ran off on its own as he scanned the sky behind him. There was Starfire, floating in midair. She still looked like a disaster, but Starfire showed no signs of any discomfort. If she did—and Robin suspected as much—she maintained a tough exterior.

"Titans!" Robin yelled, an increased vigor in his voice. "TAKE, HIM, DOWN!"

Blasts of blue and green attacked the monster in the air, and it wrapped itself within its wings. Scourge fell back to the ground, landing cleanly despite the barrage attacking him. Robin took the disc in his hand and prepared to sling it, when he felt something grab his wrist. He yanked at the grip, looking up to see Zerrich at his side.

"How many more of those do you have?"

"Two," Robin answered.

Zerrich was quick to wrench the one disc out of Robin's grasp. "Hand me the other one as well."

"What are you doing?"

"The effects on him are temporary. He'll regain his strength and revert to his fire form again soon. How do you set these off?"

Robin blinked for a second. Realizing he was wasting time, he reached for his second disc and gave it to Zerrich. "Safety switch hidden at the seam. They explode on impact."

Zerrich quickly took back to the sky, blasting at Scourge along with Starfire and Cyborg. The beast jumped into the air again, coming back down onto Zerrich. The wings flared out and a large claw reached into the sky to strike at him. Robin was quick to grab another of his freeze discs—the type he'd brought the most of—and sling it in front of him. The clawed hand hit the disc, causing the gas to surround and immediately freeze around it. It slowed the creature's swipe, but not his descent.

Zerrich put up a barrier to block the attack, but the energy field crackled and disintegrated on impact. Zerrich fell back to the ground, and the monster hovered dangerously over him. Robin sprinted for a bird-a-rang on the ground, picked it up, twirled on his feet and chucked it hard at the Firnusium. The razor tips spun furiously towards the monster, and the bladed edge of one side placed itself right into Scourge's flaming eye socket. The demon reared back as the blade fell away, screaming a kind of sound only a monster could make. Furious, it made to charge at Robin, raising its iced claw at him.

Robin back-flipped out of the way as the demon used the ice block as a sledgehammer, pummeling it into the ground. The concrete shook so violently that Robin tumbled off his hands before he could get back onto his feet. Chunks of ice pelted off his body as he rolled to safety. The fires of the monster's eyes flared menacingly as it bared its teeth. The blue of its skin began to brighten, and the fiery yellow encased its body once more. The flames seemed to make their own roar as the shape of the demon walked towards Robin to make a final strike. Green blasts and sonic beams pierced the fires as its burning wings extended and its right claw rose into the air again.

Suddenly, the monster's body exploded out. Fires sprayed everywhere, dancing about on their own before reforming. Moments after, the flames shed away to reveal the demon underneath once more. Robin flipped off his back and onto his feet, yanked suddenly off the ground by his shoulders. He looked up to see Starfire carrying him out the monster's way. From his new vantage point, he could see Zerrich below. He was chanting something before releasing a handful of blue energy at the monster. It again cascaded around the demon's form.

"Starfire!" Robin ordered, "attack him while he's solid!"

Starfire wasted no time, blasting at Scourge with her eye beams. The creature physically stumbled all of one step to his side. A sonic blast, two streaks of blue energy…and a large green tail slammed into Scourge from all directions. It was the impact with Beast Boy's tail in T-Rex form that actually caused the monster to fly backwards. It was quick to spread its wings for balance and land on its feet, the demon's own tail thrashing about angrily. Two balls of fire formed at its fingertips, both flying for Cyborg's position. The Titan ducked one, but could not roll away from the other as it slammed his shoulder. The armor broke away, causing Cyborg to scream out as he fell over.

Beast Boy charged forward again, slamming his large T-Rex head into Scourge and sending both into a small building. They crashed easily through the wall, sending debris and smoke everywhere. A moment later, a black purple and green blur shot out of the cloud of dust. Beast Boy skimmed roughly across the ground some thirty feet away until he rolled to a stop.

Starfire swooped in low with Robin in tow. She blasted into the hole in the building with her eye beams, sending more debris in all directions. The knocked out part of the wall began to glow from within, and the fiery demon blasted its way out onto the streets. It roared as it threw another ball of fire for both Starfire and Robin. The Tamaranian let Robin go and pulled for the sky. Robin easily rolled to a landing as the demon prepared to strike again.

Out of the corner of Robin's eye was Zerrich, hovering in place and muttering something to himself. An instant later, he chucked the last disc Robin had given him towards Scourge. The Boy Wonder could see the blue tinge around the disc as it sailed across Robin's field of view. The device sank into the Firnusium's flames.

Again, the explosion forced Scourge's fiery form to fly in every direction before it began to reform at center mass. The fires snuffed themselves out part-by-part, and Scourge staggered a moment before planting his powerful clawed foot forward for balance. It's ten-foot tall stature regained itself as the wings on Scourge's back spread out. Zerrich blasted at the demon with his blue energy, and again the streaks cascaded around Scourge. This time, however the streaks of energy brightened, flaring about like electrical strikes. Scourge roared in protest, unsure of what was happening to him. Admittedly, Robin wasn't exactly sure what was happening either.

Zerrich began uttering a series of words Robin had never heard before. The chant got louder, just before Zerrich administered a final strike. A stream of blue energy looking more like colored wind leapt from Zerrich's hands, reaching out towards Scourge. The beast roared loudly as the wind-like and electric-like powers surrounded him. Suddenly, the monster leaped for the air.

"Keep him still!" Zerrich shouted. "We can't let him break loose!"

Thinking fast, Robin pulled out his last two freeze discs, throwing them for the airborne Scourge. Both discs plastered against its wings, freezing them solid. The monster fell back to the ground, struggling to free its wings from their entrapment. With a determined roar, the wings retracted harshly, shattering the ice encasements and sending fragments and powder in all directions. It drew in its legs at the knees, preparing to leap for the sky once again. Robin had nothing left to stop it.

What happened next caught Robin off-guard. Instead of leaping for the air, Scourge collapsed to one knee. His form started to warp and disintegrate, returning to its solid form for a moment before doing it again. The demon was in some kind of flux within the surrounding magic. The blue energy on the outside swirled around him, while the charged energy within swam across the beast's form. Zerrich grabbed Robin's attention as he pulled a violet crystal or stone from his vest pocket. He said two final words before throwing it at the demon.

The blue energy turned a blinding white, howling like winds from a massive explosion. A shockwave followed, knocking Robin off his feet. Once he hit the ground, Robin felt the wave of energy reverse itself. The wind nearly threatened to pull him towards where Scourge was standing, but before Robin could reach for anything to hold him in place the winds evaporated. The brilliant light died out, and everything was eerily quiet.

Robin found that he had been panting, though he couldn't tell if it had been from the long battle or the sudden adrenaline increase from the last few moments…or both. Robin shook his head slightly and looked just ahead of him. Scourge was nowhere to be found. The ground where he'd been standing had a large ash mark in its place. Within the large mark was a violet stone. Robin glanced quickly over to Zerrich. The man from Azarath was on his knees, his hands propped against his upper thighs setting his elbows outward while he rested.

Before Robin could try and get up on his own, something tucked under one of his arms and hoisted him to his feet. He turned around to see Starfire standing there with a weak smile on her face.

"Star!" He almost shouted. His first reaction was to hug her, but his trained instincts kept their distance as they normally did. In this case, it was a good thing; an afterthought of causing Starfire more pain in her current condition struck Robin suddenly.

"Does it still hurt?" Robin asked her.

She nodded once. "I have felt great pain before. Although, I would much prefer not to have that experience again at any time in my lifespan."

Robin still couldn't help looking Starfire over. Her hair had still been burnt pretty badly, most of its length completely gone. What was left showed signs of life only at their roots while the rest remained blackened and curled. Her skin up close still showed signs of burns, but it was still an improvement from moments earlier. Robin forced a slight smile, not wanting his worry to show through. He sighed and looked to the rest of the team now stumbling closer.

Cyborg took his time as he stepped towards the group. "Sorry, y'all. I ain't drivin' us home tonight." Robin made a quick note of the Titan's injuries. Caved in chest panel punctured at the center, busted shoulder armor and wires hanging from Cyborg's right arm and a slight sparking from some loose connection in Cyborg's left hip were clearly visible. He also showed some charring all over his metal frame, but there was no telling what other damages he might have sustained.

"I'm gonna have to pick gravel out of my butt for weeks," Beast Boy quipped as he slowly limped over, his jumpsuit shredded. He stopped just left of Zerrich sitting on the ground way back on his ankles. The green Titan looked at the blackened scar on the ground just in front of the intact part of the wall across from the team. He was the first to ask the question.

"So, like…is he dead?"

"Trapped," Zerrich said, gesturing to the stone. "You can't really kill a demon. You can trap them or banish them. Or send them home."

"He's trapped in that stone?" Robin asked.

Zerrich nodded, showing signs of weariness. Whatever feat he'd just pulled off, it hadn't been without its trade-off. The other slumped a little more, letting his head fall forward. He was still able to keep from collapsing, though not by much.

A sudden motion just happened to catch Robin's attention. Two blocks down, on the roof of one of the two-story buildings, something moved.

"Someone's watching," Robin said, his voice low.

"Huh?" Beast Boy started. "One of the locals?"

"This guy's not a local," Robin answered, starting to sprint down the road.

"Wait!" Beast Boy shouted. "I think we're a little too beat up to go chasing after anyone right now!"

"Agreed," Starfire shouted. "I shall accompany you!"

Robin turned for a moment and looked back to the team. Everyone was injured or worn down except for him. Starfire was still capable, but that would leave the team vulnerable if she came with him. At the same time, this looked to be the only opportunity Robin was going to have at finding a culprit who had remained hidden for near six months.

"Starfire, I need you to get everyone back to the T-Car. Make sure everyone stays safe. I have to take care of this now, or things will get a lot worse!"

"Robin!" Starfire yelled back as Robin turned away. He didn't respond as he continued his sprint. He heard nothing more from Starfire after that.


	14. Man Behind the Curtain

**XIV**

**Man Behind the Curtain**

Dirt puffed into the air as Robin's feet landed on the rooftop he had swung to. The Boy Wonder went into a full sprint, launching off of the end of one building and landing on the next. The alleyways were narrow, so Robin had little problem getting from structure to structure. Ahead of him, a silhouetted figure leaped almost as nimbly as he did. The man was two blocks away, and Robin was determined to catch him.

The buildings were practically identical in design and dimensions, and the leaps and bounds of both figures nearly matched, each taking off and landing at the same time. Then the interval changed, and Robin started making his landings a little bit sooner. He was catching up. Robin made another leap, reaching for one of his last freeze discs. He gripped it tightly as he landed. Ahead of them, the buildings began to disperse as they hit an edge of the small town. A gas station's umbrella-like pump shelter was just within leap's reach, and the man ahead of Robin went for it. He landed, leaped to the ground and continued on. For an instant, the enemy's black suit and gray armor exited the darkness of the rooftops before turning back to shadow into the nearby woods.

Robin pulled out his grappling hook, aiming for one of the tall trees on the other side of the road. The grapple made contact, and Robin bypassed the gas station entirely as he swung over the road and into the wooded area. The swing gained him much ground on his opponent. He could see him clearly up ahead, leaping for the trees. Robin pushed back a nasty sense of déjà vu as he jumped up into the branches. The Boy Wonder immediately paid extra mind to the tree limbs. This time around—when his opponent leaped from them—they reacted.

Robin adjusted his hold on the freeze disc in his hand. He brought his grappling hook back out, fitting the disc to the end of it. The figure ahead of him leaped for a higher branch, and Robin aimed for it and fired. The grapple shot forward at a high rate of speed, propelling the freeze disc well ahead of it. The explosive device struck the branch, causing it to freeze instantly. The man ahead grabbed for it anyway, but the slick surface prevented him from gaining any hold on it. Before he could fall, the grapple hook twisted around his waist. Robin jumped for another branch above, letting the grapple's handle wrap around it from underneath. His enemy swung below the Boy Wonder as he jumped down from the trees.

Before Robin could get into position, the tangled captive removed a knife from his side. The cable snapped after three slices across it. He landed accurately on his feet, but he couldn't recover before Robin had planted both feet into his back. The Titan's opponent grunted, rolling onto the ground. The blade landed somewhere in the darkness, invisible in the night. Robin straightened from his landed crouch, but he did not immediately pursue the other. He tried to control his rapid breathing from the chase, watching as his enemy got up from the ground. The other brought his left leg out, some kind of metal support rods lining the limb from ankle to knee. They hissed like the sound of small hydraulic cylinders as he propped himself up on his left foot, and they whirred quietly as he straightened.

"So, Terra left her mark after all," Robin taunted him. The other said nothing. Robin decided to take the moment, charging the armored man down. His opponent put his arms up, and Robin began the toe-to-toe duel. Knife-formed hands sliced at the man, blocked or pushed away by practiced countermeasures. Robin switched through various art forms, kicking high for the enemy's head or swiping at his feet. The other showed his agility, dodging and weaving multiple strikes in a blur caused mostly by the darkness of the woods than by any rapid motion.

However, the counter attacks found Robin once or twice, knocking the Titan out of his rhythm. A precise shot to Robin's chest threw him to the ground. The Boy Wonder rolled to his left just in time as his opponent jumped into the air in an effort to come down on his face. Robin used his roll to kick his feet into a twirl, but instead of using it to get back up he kicked at the back of his enemy's knees. The other went down, and Robin flipped upright. One roundhouse kick to the side of the other man's head forced another grunt out of him, and he quickly went down.

A sound of something skidding across the dirt further off caught Robin's attention, and in the darkness he realized he'd kicked the man's mask off. The other rolled back onto his feet, and Robin made a leaping kick again to the man's head. Robin's opponent was quick at getting his hands up, both blocking and offsetting Robin's kick. The Titan, however, used the offset as momentum, spinning in mid air and coming back around with his other leg. It planted just behind his target's ear, kicking him back to the ground. Robin landed, watching the other roll dazedly to his feet. Blonde hair could be seen peeking out of the material covering his head, even in the darkness of the woods.

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Who I am isn't important," the other answered with a much younger voice than Robin was expecting. "What I can cause…that is the thing you should fear the most."

His voice was young. Granted, Robin was already expecting a voice different from what he'd first anticipated, but the youthful tone still took him slightly by surprise.

"I'm not interested in your rhetoric," Robin spat. "Answer my question!"

"Would it change anything were I to provide an answer to you? The effects on the here-and-now would be nil."

"Who are you working for?"

The other laughed. "You wound me. It never occurred to you that perhaps I might possibly be self-employed?"

"That's one of _Slade's _uniforms. Now, who are you and why are y-"

The blonde-haired enemy charged at Robin, but the Boy Wonder put up a block that redirected a swing for his head. Robin quickly tucked his shoulder under the arm, using his opponent's momentum against him and throwing him a good distance away. The assailant twirled in mid air and landed relatively clean on his feet, the leg with the mechanical support unit groaning and hissing from the harsh impact with the ground.

"What are you?" Robin muttered. "Some new apprentice?"

"_New_!" the other seemed to spit the taste of the word from his tongue. "I've played more important rolls than you ever could have imagined when Slade made _you_ his nasty little apprentice. I could have done far more damage than that little blonde brat he took in after. My apprenticeship predated any of you…you facsimiles. That apprenticeship is long over. Again, you make the mistake in believing in a higher power than my own."

Robin's eyes narrowed behind the mask. "It's just the impression I get."

The other put his hands up in gestured surrender. "So I admit, I might not be the model combat expert. My experience and specialties reside in the more simplistic arts. That of intelligence, analytical prowess. Something often dismissed in this world you and I exist in."

"What are you talking about? What worl-"

"The super hero and the super criminal. We're far beyond everyone else, Robin. Especially for you and I. We have no supernatural abilities within us. We are simply superior by birth. What is amusing, if not ironic, is that most individuals just cannot see it for what it is. They ignore us. Tell us we aren't worthy. They have no idea what potentials they have discarded."

Robin didn't move. He kept his hands just in front of him as he watched the other. "Slade abandoned you, didn't he?"

The blonde-haired kid didn't immediately answer. "Slade was always rushing to perfection. While he created the illusion of patience, in reality it was not his strong suit. He could not appreciate the proper care I took in learning my lessons."

Robin smirked. "You mean you were too slow a learner for him."

"The proper understanding of things takes the proper amount of time! The man chose not to grasp that! And we both know where it got him in the end. They all end up the same. Their foolishness and ignorance leads them there."

Robin didn't look phased in the least. "Let me guess. You were one of those kids beat up by punk jocks growing up. I'll bet even that leg is of some consequence of Slade's. Now you want to get back at the world for either picking on you or letting it happen. I've seen that pathetic sob story before."

"Bah!" the other put his hands into the air. "You aren't even the one I'm after."

Robin held stock still, except for the slight raising of his head. "Raven."

"I'll let you in on a little secret. You surprised me. I never expected you to leave one of your own unattended to chase down some demon blood-hunter. I had anticipated the possibility and prepared for it…but I never actually believed you would risk it."

"What are you planning?" Robin growled.

"The _plan_ has already taken affect. Everything was placed in motion mere moments after you and your merry band left Jump City. The entire operation should be coming to a close at this very moment."

That was when the older boy pulled out a small communicator from his utility belt. Robin clenched his fists as he watched.

The blonde-haired young man switched the communicator on, a smug smirk on his shadowed lips. "Alpha, this is Omega. I trust the girl has been acquired, alive?"

Robin could do absolutely nothing to suppress the heat and rage from his body as he stood by and listened. His emotions ripped at him, demanded that he charged down the criminal in front of him and tear him apart. His training kept his feet in place, informing him of the obvious. Whatever had occurred on the other end of that communicator was said and done. There was nothing Robin could do about it. He could only wait for the response.

A burst of static forced its way across the communicator in the villain's hand. The crackling noise continued for a few moments longer until he pressed the button again. "Omega to Alpha. Has target been acquired? Respond."

Again, the device only spit out more static. Robin watched as the other flustered slightly, not used to the idea of one of his plans failing. The Boy Wonder took his cue, reaching for his own communicator off his belt. He clicked it on and brought it to his face.

"Nest, this is Papa Bird. What's your status?"

Robin's comm. crackled for a moment. Then, the noise clicked off. "_Ain't too bad. Just had us some visitors stop by, but they were bein' kinda rude._"

Robin could see his opponent bristle as he heard the female's voice from the Boy Wonder's communicator. "They weren't too much trouble," Robin queried, "were they?"

The vid screen on the hand held communicator lit up in the darkness, showing Bumblebee's casually smirking face. "_Nah. Tin buckets ain't ever too much trouble. It got a little hairy for about a minute, but nothin' good ol' East couldn't handle._"

"_Most of the drones just followed whatever programming they had,_" Speedy's image crackled and took over Bumblebee's. "_Ripping them apart was way too easy. Though, there was this one that could talk. In a droning, Battlestar Galactica reject sorta way. Looked a lot nastier than the others, and he had a big **A** stamped on his forehead too._"

"Sounds new," Robin noted.

Speedy nodded. "_He didn't last that much longer than the others. But, MAN, did he not know when to shut up! He kept going on about acquiring the ultimate power, and the master's plans can't be denied and on and on. Real cliché stuff._"

"How's Raven?" Robin asked.

Bumblebee's image replaced Speedy's. "_In good shape. Still a bit under the weather, though. Speedy says she slept through the whole thing. Don't worry, nothing got even close. Let's just hope she don't wake up all pissed 'cuz she missed all the action. I know I'd be._"

Robin had an eye on the criminal in front of him the whole time. His anger was entirely on the surface. When he finally spoke, his words were much calmer than his demeanor. "Well, Robin. It looks like you're proving to be quite the opponent. Maybe there was a reason Slade liked you so much afterall."

Robin held back the urge to curse the other out. "After dropping some flawed student like you?" he chose to respond with instead.

"You'll regret that smug attitude soon, Titan," Robin's enemy threatened. "I'd like to remind you of whom it was that brought that beast to this world."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "Why? What the hell do you want?"

The other laughed. "Robin, if you haven't figured that one out by now, you will disappoint me to no end."

"I know what you're trying to do. And we'll do everything in our power to stop you…"

"You _can't_ stop me. You cannot stop what is destined. Trigon will enter our realm, and he shall do it here. On this planet."

"You still haven't answered my question," Robin growled. "_Why_?"

"Power! That which Slade fought and died for. Only I have found the greatest source within my grasp."

"You know," Robin shook his head, "you really had me thinking you were just an idiot who didn't know it yet. You're completely insane. You can't control Trigon. If you bring him here, he'll kill you just as soon as he'd destroy the rest of the world."

"Ah! That is where you are entirely wrong. He _can _be controlled."

"You're making that up."

"It's written. There is a way! And I know its secret."

Robin pulled out a bird-a-rang from his belt. "Like I said, even if it were possible, we aren't going to let that happen."

The other man sneered, seen even in the darkness. "Stop me. If you think you can…"

Robin could see it coming. The boy's hands flicked at the Boy Wonder quickly, ejecting two small pellets from somewhere on the suit. Robin jumped backwards in time to avoid the explosion. Instead of debris, however, thick smoke poured into the already-blackened woods. Visibility had been reduced to zero, and while Robin could hear the villain leaving, moving in the sound's direction simply ran the Titan into one tree or another. By the time the smoke had cleared, both sight and sound of the other were gone. He could do nothing to pursue him.

-

* * *

- 

The sounds of crying caught Robin's attention as the team made their way into Titan's Tower. Robin looked around to where it had been coming from, only to see the twins Mas and Menos balling their eyes out. A kneeling Aqualad, who seemed to look as confused as the Boy Wonder, was holding them back. Between sobs, their rapid Spanish poured out as they reached with their hands towards the Tower's entrance. Robin scratch the back of his head, then looked to the door and realized the situation. They had seen Starfire walk in with the battered group, and it must have frightened them terribly.

Robin could understand the hurt first hand as he walked past the assorted piles of scrap and drone bodies. Walking through the new obstacle course, the Titan made his way up to Bumblebee. The leader of Titans East turned her head slightly, noticing Robin's approach.

"Everyone okay?" she asked.

"We need a little patching up," Robin responded, "but I think we'll be fine."

"I hadn't realized how nasty this whole thing had gotten," Bumblebee nodded. "Sounds bad if they got enough muscle to attack that hospital, Titan's Tower _and_ give you guys a good runnin' over at the same time."

Robin nodded. The hospital Raven had been sent to had a secret ward specifically for superheroes, and it hadn't even been in Jump City. "This guy really did his homework. The truth is, we still don't know how capable he might be. The thing we chased down isn't from this world. I'm not so sure he can't call up another one if he wants."

"Hey," Bumblebee punched Robin lightly in the arm. "Not so grim. You beat this one, didn't you?"

"It wasn't easy."

"Pssh! Never is. Otherwise, everybody'd be doin' what we're doin'. And besides, you were one girl down. You'll have 'im real easy next time."

Robin kept his posture as he watched Titan's East gathering up the debris from battle. Mas and Menos were still half-sobbing as they sped along from pile to pile, transporting what they could from one place to another. Aqualad and speedy were setting up containment with the help of various sea creatures waiting near the island.

"So, this _guy_ you mentioned," Bumblebee interrupted Robin's thoughts. "Know who it is?"

Robin nodded. "There's still a lot to look into. But, we have a much better idea than before."

"It's not Slade, then," Bumblebee stated more than asked.

"No," Robin answered, simply. _Not Slade. It was never Slade._

"So, we got a name yet or what?"

"No such luck. Except during a radio call he tried to make. He referred to himself as Omega, but that was all just code."

Bumblebee nodded, looking around at her team. "Look, why don't you get back in with your team. We can clean up around here. I mean, we made the mess an' all."

"Thanks. I'm glad you guys showed up. You really made a difference today."

Bumblebee smirked. "Awright now, don't go makin' me blush. I'd have to kick your butt for it later."

The two leaders went their ways, Robin heading back inside the tower. The sun had already come up towards the end of the Titans' trip home, but no one was in any condition to stay awake for too long. Robin was quick getting to the main lounge where he found Beast Boy sitting on the couch with Zerrich. The man from Azarath was creating a light blue glow around Beast Boy's stomach. The energy dissolved as soon as Robin approached the two.

"You had no broken bones, thankfully," Zerrich said. "I'm not so sure I would have the strength for that toni…this morning."

Beast Boy nodded at the correction. "I know. Been a pretty long night for all of us." The green Titan launched up from the couch, testing himself out on his legs. "Sweet! I'm feeling lots better. Thanks. You're even better at this healing stuff than Raven."

"It isn't a problem. Unfortunately, I'm not as practiced in my tailoring as I am in healing, or I might be of more assistance."

Beast Boy looked down at his shredded outfit. "What, this? Meh, I got tons more in my room."

"Well, then," Zerrich said, "that issue seems resolved."

"Just don't throw it on the floor with the rest of your mess," Robin said, casually. He walked into the living room as Zerrich got up.

"No way," Beast Boy answered. "This thing's getting thrown out, like, right now. Thanks again!" The young boy made his way to his room. Where the ruined uniform would end up was anyone's guess.

Robin turned to look at Zerrich. "How long will that thing stay contained in there?" He gestured to Zerrich's vest pocket.

"Indefinitely, saying someone or something doesn't try and break him out. We'll need to send it to a…relatively quiet realm somewhere. I was going to wait until Raven returned before making the attempt."

Robin watched as Zerrich removed the small crystal from his pocket and held it with both hands. "Where did you get that?"

"This actually originated from a larger stone I picked up outside of the tower. It took a few spells to transform it to the necessary state."

Robin raised his eyebrows. "You did that in the car?"

"Towards the end of the trip. I honestly wasn't sure it would work. There was no time to test it."

The comment almost made Robin laugh. It was often the case with the Titans that the best plan was the spontaneous one. That single, unrehearsed move even with all the training and practice was sometimes the thing that made the difference. Even from one whom was not a member of the team, the rule stuck. It was hard not to reflect on the past couple of weeks regarding the man from Azarath, but here and now things felt different. Robin looked at Zerrich and felt a sense of clarity. He took a step forward, extending his hand.

"You did good today. I doubt we would have beaten this thing without you."

Zerrich hesitated, question written all over his face for Robin to read. Awkwardly, Zerrich raised his hand and clasped Robin's.

"I tend to think that had prior events not occurred, Raven may not have been so badly hurt. I'm sure she would have done much more in my place."

The Titans leader looked slightly confused as he let Zerrich's hand go. "Prior events?"

"There was…a spell the two of us had been working on before the first alarm. It temporarily altered our power output. The spell is what had allowed me to combat Scourge so effectively, but it was also the cause of my collapse."

The Boy Wonder digested the information. Instinctively, Robin wanted to warn Zerrich from experimenting further with any magic. However, the enemy they would be facing unfortunately demanded that the team searched each and every avenue they could. These would be the risks. The Titan consoled himself by remembering that Raven would be a part of those trials as well. This was the road they had to take.

"We'll have to be careful in the future. Right now, I'm just glad we were able to stop that thing. And, we know how to do it again if another comes around. Get yourself some rest. Titans East can cover us for the day."

Zerrich simply nodded before heading down the hall. Robin took a moment to look out the lounge window before following. He took his usual turns to get to his room, when he found Starfire waiting for him. The Tamaranian had changed clothes, contrasting now with her burned skin and hair.

"Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?" Robin asked as he walked up to her.

Starfire nodded slightly. "I shall proceed there shortly. Right now, I am curious as to when Raven shall return home to us."

"From what Speedy told me, she should be back here by this evening."

Starfire closed her eyes. "I am relieved that no harm has come to her. I must admit that I was afraid for her while we pursued the demon. I was…unsure if we had made the proper decision."

Robin unconsciously started scratching the back of his head. He had the same worry as the team departed, hoping that Titans East could get to Jump City and the hospital in time.

"It's okay, Star," Robin soothed. "I was worried about her, too. It's hard leaving a member of the team behind. I hope we never have to do that again."

"I could not agree more. Raven…I feel as though she were my sister. Erm…not to be confused with my true sister who has chosen to be evil, although she is still my sister and a part of my family and home, even though she has been banished from that home which makes everything more complicated when I mention another outside of my family being like my sister. Does this not seem confusing to you?"

Robin chuckled. "Complicated as it sounds, I think I know exactly what you mean." The reassurance made Starfire smile. Robin was suddenly drawn to the shortness of Starfire's hair. He would miss it, but he was aware it wouldn't be for long. Tamaranians tended to grow their hair back very quickly. Robin had witnessed it before when Starfire's hair had been vaporized by Chang's xenothium weapon. Amusingly, Starfire had thought nothing of it until a week and a half later when the entire team had noticed the difference in growth. It made Robin wonder how often she had to cut it to keep her hair under control…

Robin widened his eyes as he suddenly realized something. His head turned toward the other end of the corridor.

"Is there something wrong?" Starfire asked.

Robin jogged down the corridor to the nearest window, looking out to the city.

"Robin?" Starfire followed behind. "Something has your attention. Might you please share what is on your mind?"

Robin turned away from the window, looking back to Starfire.

"I think I have an idea."

-

* * *

- 

Quiet, for some odd reason, had always been a comfort in Raven's room. As the door slid closed behind her, that comfort seemed to envelope her all over again. It wasn't happiness per se, just a sense of being content. Coming back to the team was a pleasant experience, complete with a full 'welcome back' gauntlet made up of every member of both her team as well as Titans East. Raven sighed. It wasn't as if she didn't appreciate the teams' caring. In her own way, she felt the same. Though, putting up with Starfire's bear hugs never did get any better. The one thing to distract Raven from it was the short bob Starfire had been sporting at the time.

She looked to the floor, the last ritual her and Zerrich had attempted to perform still spread all about. As much as it was a reminder of what had happened, it was also a reminder of what they still had to do. Whom they still had to deal with. Her father was coming, and they were anything but prepared for it.

Three knocks on Raven's door caused her to look over her shoulder. A slight irritation tightened her teeth for a moment before she pulled her hood over her head and turned around. The door slid slightly open, allowing Raven's eye to peek at whoever was disturbing her.

"Might I come in?" Zerrich said from the hallway.

"You better have brought the stone," Raven answered as she walked away from the door, letting it slide completely open. Zerrich was a few steps behind her, the stone in his right hand. "Do you know a good place to send it?"

"I was actually hoping you might have a suggestion."

Raven turned around, kneeling to sit cross-legged on the floor. "Then I think I've got one in mind."

"Before we start," Zerrich began, "I wanted to thank you. This is now the second time you've saved my life, at great risk to your own. And…I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I thought I understood the spell fully enough to make it work. I hadn't known there would be such a withdrawal when the side effect had worn off. I never meant to place your life at risk."

Raven nodded, letting out a quiet breath. "I know. This wasn't anyone's fault. And being Titans, it's a risk we always have to face. Take my word for it; this isn't the first time something odd has happened to one of us. The team always backs up their members when they're in trouble. It's no different for…for guests."

Raven reached up for the stone, Zerrich handing it to her as he kneeled down with her. The stone was placed on the floor, and Raven gathered the four candles from the previous ritual. She set them on each corner surrounding the stone. Her hand gestured towards two flasks from across the room. They floated with ease to her hands, and she poured a circle around the stone but within the candles' boundaries.

She gestured to another book, letting it float into her hands. With closed eyes, she began chanting the words that would momentarily open the desired portal in front of her.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Carazon Rakashas Endere. Vaserix Endrien Nevinsal. Nevinsal, Nevinsal, Nevinsal!"

With a flash of energy, the circle forced a light blue cylindrical barrier from the floor all the way to the ceiling. The very top flashed brilliantly into a new portal, the entire incantation causing strong winds throughout Raven's chambers. The powders and dusts left from Raven and Zerrich's last spell scattered across the room.

Finally, the stone lifted weightlessly off the ground where it shot up and through the portal. In a blinding flash the barrier dispersed, and the vortex sealed itself completely. The stirring of the room settled except for the suddenly cloudy atmosphere from the dusts in the air.

"I…probably should have cleaned that first," Raven said, getting back onto her feet."

"I'll get your window," Zerrich offered as he too got off the ground. "And remind me never to go to Nevinsal."

"Have you heard of it before?"

"Just now. That's the extent of my knowledge."

One of the windowpanes slid open, letting a fresh evening breeze begin to clear out the room.

"I'm sure there's still plenty of material to work with," Zerrich added, returning to the center of the room. "Once we get situated, I'd like to try that spell of ours again. Something occurred to me…"

"I'm sorry," Raven shook her head. "What did you say? You want to try that spell again?"

Zerrich nodded. "I know. Timing could not have been worse. But the threat we are facing requires us to explore everything that we can."

"We did. It was a failure. It also nearly got us both killed."

"This is something that can truly help us. Hear me out. The last time, were you not concerned with the possibility that some of your soul-self transferred to me? What if it were possible to do just that?"

Raven closed her eyes, a hand brushing the hood to her shoulders. "At what risk? I have to meditate every morning to keep my emotions in check because of my inner demons. Now, I have to do it in the evenings as well. The closer we get to my father's coming, the worse it's going to be. If we _could_ transfer that burden, how much would you be able to take before it controlled you too? And besides, if it is getting worse then I don't think it would make a difference anyway."

Raven turned towards her open window. "When my power transferred over, my magic became weaker. The barrier I put up to protect us wasn't strong enough because I didn't have all of my power. I know my own limits. On a normal day, I would have held that barrier for much longer. There was more than just you collapsing. I was drained too."

"I know," Zerrich sighed. "That's what I'm telling you. If it were possible to strip the energy without the demon coming with it, could it be possible to temporarily remove the darkness inside you without taking…"

"It doesn't work that way," Raven said, her tone stern. "The demon is a part of who I am. You can take the energy away because it's just that. All that will do is make the demon powerless. You could no more strip away the darkness inside me than you could take away a vital organ and expect me to survive on my own." Raven consciously reached an arm to her opposite shoulder. "No, Zerrich. We can't risk this spell again. We have to find something else."

They were both quiet for a time. Raven slowly turned from the window to look at Zerrich. He looked back to her and took a slow breath. "All right. But if we're going to explore every possible way otherwise, I need to ask you something. I still know that there's something within you that you're holding back, beyond any demons within. I saw it in you while I was under the enchantment of the scrolls. There were times you could do more, but didn't. What is it you're holding back? What are you so afraid…" Zerrich shook his head, "…what are you _aware_ of?"

Raven didn't flinch. She only looked back. Inside she had become extremely uncomfortable. This was a part of her that she did not want to delve back into. For emotional reasons as well as moral ones. But, what if there was something she had buried with all those spells that really wasn't as bad as she had thought? She had been taught so much by him. Not everything had been Dark magic. Raven was simply…too afraid to sort through it all and discern what was truly safe.

"I should probably start from the beginning," she sighed, walking over to her locked chest. She waved her hand at the lock, opening it before she had gotten to it. She kneeled down, slid the two Rontizma scrolls aside and reached for a small trap door underneath. Then she did something she thought she would never have to do again. She opened it.

"It started," Raven began her story as she stood back up with her new possession, "with this book."


	15. The Terrible

**XV**

**The Terrible**

The small holographic display over the meeting table was already magnifying the point of interest in the city. The image pixilated for a moment before clearing, and all ten Titans and their guest fixated on the new image. It was the top of a natural rock pillar that stretched at least two hundred meters across. The old observatory—at least what was left of the structure—now filled the center of the table. Its converted laser cannon was in plain view as a result of the observatory being cut in half, gutted down to nearly the framework.

"Okay, Rob, you know what?" Cyborg broke the silence, leaning slightly back in his seat. "You lost me. How does 'I have a plan,' lead to this ol' thing?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy added. "That site's been condemned since that whole Red-X mess and the duke-out with Chang."

Robin nodded quietly. "The site might be condemned, but that doesn't mean it isn't operational. The structure's turning mechanism should still work, with enough power. And restoring the cannon shouldn't take too long."

"Ummm," Speedy struggled with what to say. "You're going to make a cannon to fight this Trigon guy with?"

"It's a long shot, but if we're going to defeat him, we have to use everything we have. Raven's told us that he's currently trapped in another realm, but not permanently."

"It's possible for him to escape," Zerrich said, "but it would take most of his strength just to open a single vortex. It's why he sends out scouts instead. If he's going to open a portal to another realm, he needs it to be the right one. The one with Raven present."

Robin and the rest of the team had been told precisely what Raven's importance to her father was. She was his anchor. Without her nearby, Trigon would simply be whisked back to his prison realm in a matter of moments. It had been the reason why the Demon had made so many attempts to produce offspring. His potential children spelled his freedom.

"If he could succeed in opening a portal here," the Boy Wonder continued, "doing so would greatly weaken him. We have an advantage."

"So, what would power the cannon?" Speedy asked.

Robin took a deep breath. "The same thing that powered it the last time."

Bumblebee looked around the room before looking back to Robin. "Tell me if I got this wrong, but I read that Chang used xenothium the last time."

Robin didn't answer. The concept itself was going to be controversial, he knew. Xenothium was something he didn't ever want to mess with again. But this was something a lot bigger than anything the Titans had faced. Cyborg placed his hand loudly on the table.

"Nu-uh. I ain't playin' with no xenothium. That stuff's nasty, unpredictable..."

"And the most potent," Robin interrupted. "We don't have much choice."

Cyborg glared back at Robin. "Y'know, dawg, the last time I found out you'd used that shit, you called it a mistake. Now you're willing to go back and do it all again." The android Titan stood up from the meeting table. "Guess you really didn't think it was much of a mistake afterall."

"Cyborg," Robin said, "this meeting isn't over yet."

"It is for me. I can't guarantee we won't save this city without destroying it ourselves first."

"It won't make a difference," Raven finally spoke up. Cyborg turned to look in her direction, and for the moment he wasn't concentrating on leaving. "Xenothium alone won't do anything but make my father angry."

"That isn't where the plan stops. Zerrich, you put some kind of magic spell on that freeze disc you threw at Scourge.

Zerrich raised his eyebrows as he nodded slowly. "But, the combinations of spells I used were on solid objects. Either the disc or Scourge himself. You even saw the difficulties when I attempted the spells on the Firnusium while in his fire form. Casting a spell on some beam of energy isn't quite my strong point."

"It's possible," Raven added. Robin and Zerrich both looked to the dark girl, waiting for a more detailed explanation. "I'll have to…do more research. But, there might be something we can use."

"If we could," Zerrich started, "I'm guessing the spell would need a boost in energy. This xenothium—if it's potent enough…"

"It has to be. Look, I know the risks involved. But this isn't a chase after a local criminal, or some obsession. Trigon can destroy the world. I don't think we can afford to overlook anything at this point. Cyborg, if anyone can help keep this stuff stabilized, it's you. You or Chang anyway, and I'm not about to let that crackpot out of jail."

"I, too, share Cyborg's concerns," Starfire stated. "However, Trigon the Terrible is renowned even on my planet. If he does venture here, we will be forced to use whatever means are necessary…or face absolute destruction."

"I'm not liking that absolute destruction thing myself," Beast Boy added.

"I'm with Greeny," Bumblebee said. "Sometimes ye gotta take the gloves off. Sparky, sit back down in that seat. You ain't goin' nowhere. It's just like Bird Boy said. If we're gonna have a shot at this, yer the only one that's gonna make it work right."

Robin appreciated Bumblebee sticking up for him. Her leadership abilities and spirit were the primary reasons she lead Titans East—and with Cyborg's blessing. Robin watched as the android ran everything through his mind before finally sitting down with a huff.

"I know this is a tough decision. But we don't have time to weigh out the ends with the means. Trigon's showing up here is inevitable. He's after Raven, and he will stop at nothing. We have t—"

The hologram above the table flicked and fizzled before going out, interrupting Robin's words. Before anyone could say anything, the emitter sparked twice. Cyborg reached for the controls in front of him, only to have them spark and smoke as well. Black tendrils lanced out from the table, dissolving before they could reach any height. One of the sidelights blew out in a flash of black energy. Robin instinctively looked at Raven.

She was staring out at nothing, her eyes frighteningly wide. Her breathing, though quiet, was very shallow. Her hands gripped at the table as if she was about to rip a piece clean off between her fingers. Another light exploded as Starfire grabbed at her friend sitting next to her.

"Raven!" Starfire tried to snap the girl out of her trance. "Please do not frighten your friends so!"

After a moment, Raven blinked. The black energy around the room disappeared, and all that was left behind were a haze and the smell of ozone left in the air.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

Raven shook her head, letting her breath return to normal. "It's…I don't…"

"Trigon," Robin whispered. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"

She looked over to Robin. "That's not it. Something…something has happened. Terrible..." Her eyes drifted away, as if her mind was searching through her eyes for an answer to what she had just experienced. "Home," she finally managed to say.

Out of the corner of Robin's eye, Zerrich slowly stood up. "Home," he repeated. He walked around the table to stand next to Raven. "Azarath?"

Distantly, Raven turned her head in Zerrich's general direction. She nodded slightly. The man from Azarath spent his next moment walking out of the meeting room.

Robin looked around at the rest of the members. Everyone simply remained quiet, not knowing what to say. Then, Mas turned and looked to Menos.

"Así pues¿qué acaba de suceder?"

"No sé. Estaba demasiado ocupado mirando el cuadro en la tabla."

-

* * *

- 

The meeting ended relatively quickly once Raven had explained precisely what she'd felt. Azarath was in terrible trouble. It was hard to say if it was simply a vision of possible events, or something else. Knowing the nature of her homeland, if it was a message from home then Raven knew it was meant to warn others of the danger—to stay away. She wasted no time at all heading to Zerrich's quarters. Her outward appearance was the typical neutral dark girl the Titans had known since they had met her. Inside, her patience was all but gone. She put the last of her strength into keeping herself neutral, holding her emotions back as best she could. She knocked on Zerrich's door and waited.

The door slid open on its own, a slight blue hue fading from the control panel on the inside. Zerrich had already started setting up the ritual for traveling interdimensionally. He took a moment to look in her direction before going back to work. "I'm much better at using interdimensional travel to reappear somewhere in the realm I'm already in. At least I know I _can _use it normally. I got myself to this realm, at least."

"What do you think you're doing?" Raven said, calmly.

"I'm going home. No, I don't expect to make any difference. But I have to know what's happened."

"Well, if you're crazy enough to go home, don't expect me to stay behind."

Zerrich straightened from the floor. "I do. I expect you to stay as far from Azarath as possible right now."

"That's my home, too. I'm not waiting around while…"

"_That's _the trap," Zerrich interrupted. "If it's him, then the last thing you can do is show up. You'll be practically handing yourself to him."

Raven grit her teeth, holding back the anger in her chest. She inadvertently took a breath through her nose, the exaggerated sound giving away her emotion. It was insulting enough that Zerrich seemed to think that hadn't crossed her mind.

"I don't think it matters where he finds me. I won't be able to stop him."

"I didn't come looking for you to hear you give up. The people of Azarath have decided to stay their course. Nothing can stop him from home. We at least have a chance here, with people who are willing to fight."

"What chance? Do you honestly expect this plan to work? A big laser cannon with a magic spell on it is going to whisk my father away forever? I don't know any spells of that kind. Do you?"

Zerrich sighed. "There is still much to learn and decipher. And it's still possible that the secrets lie buried in your mind after all."

Raven shook her head harshly. "We already discussed this."

"Not nearly enough. You told me that Malchior taught you spells, and that the majority of it turned out to be Dark Magic. You buried all that knowledge as deep in your psyche as you could, hoping the evils there would never add to the ones you already have. You did it out of fear."

Raven glared at Zerrich. "I'm not afr-"

Zerrich rapidly approached Raven from across the room, so quickly that Raven had to fight to keep from raising her defenses. "You have always been afraid. Afraid of the consequences of what you are. So much so that you've buried anything that might provoke those consequences. Even you told me, not everything Malchior taught you was Dark. I need you to search through that knowledge for anything that might help us."

Raven looked away, gritting her teeth again. This time, it was to fight off tears. Even thinking about going back to those spells was opening old wounds. This time, she took her breath slowly between her lips, using the very last of her control to calm herself down.

"Then what?"

Zerrich finished the setup for his ritual. "We'll figure that out when I get back. If you haven't put it all together first…and I'm thinking you just might."

Raven shook her head. "I'll never figure that out."

Zerrich sat on the floor, book in-hand. "What?"

"You're faith in me."

Zerrich smiled slightly. "As I said. I didn't come all this way. Speaking of faith, would you mind doing the send-off? I'd feel a little safer."

Raven nodded, taking the book as Zerrich offered it. "Try not to do anything too stupid."

Zerrich shrugged. "Azarath is in terrible danger, and I'm going right into it. Define 'too stupid' for me."

Neither said another word as Raven closed her eyes and concentrated. She chanted the precise incantation, allowing the barrier to surround Zerrich and the vortex within to take him home. The winds kicked Raven's cloak all around, and what books Zerrich had kept in his quarters—all of which were actually Raven's—spilled open for a moment. Then the vortex closed behind Zerrich, and the room settled back down. Raven knew he had been right. There had been a lot that Malchior had taught her. Somewhere in that knowledge might have inadvertently been a key to stopping her father. She had thought on that possibility long before Zerrich had even set foot on Earth. But, Raven had weighed the options out, remembering when those same spells took over her entire being. Was the risk worth it?

Before she could work any of that out, Raven would have to refocus her mind. Her inner demon was kicking and screaming, and the aggravation of her vision made things worse. It was time for her to meditate again. Afterward, it would be time to delve deep into her mind—to a place she had hoped to never venture again. Raven couldn't help wondering if such a venture would prove to be a mistake. Somewhere, she could almost hear Malchior chuckling to himself. Whether it was all in her head—or maybe even _from_ her head—she could not tell.

-

* * *

- 

He kneeled in the small chamber, his mask and hood removed. In front of him was the tome he was currently chanting from. Behind him, a series of computers and devices all hummed in concert. Their engineering was precise, and they played the role of replacing the magic power necessary to make every spell he had invoked so far work properly. He surmised that there most likely wasn't a soul alive that could even begin to fathom how to mimic such a supernatural ability. Even deep inside that cavern, his engineering genius had allowed him to step into a realm of magic and sorcery that would make even the greatest of sleight-of-hand artists scratch their heads.

Yet, there was nothing sleight-of-hand about this very real power. Now, he would use it to make a final attempt. There was a way to contact Trigon directly, though it was buried deep in scripts and the rituals themselves warded beyond comprehension. At least, beyond normal comprehension. The wards and 'burials' were complex tools. In the sorcerer's world, they were the equivalent to encryption keys and computer firewalls. That was a language the ex-apprentice understood all too well.

He had hoped to translate the Azarath scroll and use it to break the wards that much faster. Unfortunately, he had run out of time before he could finish the full translation of the scrolls' incantation. The ritual in the cavern that allowed him to travel to the realm of the Firnusium required perfect timing. Waiting longer would have forced him to wait another five months for the full moon to return to its proper alignment. It was a back-up plan, to retrieve a hunter to help capture Raven and send word back to Trigon. Just in case he was unable to make contact himself.

Of course, upon his return home, he had come to find his base—Slade's abandoned lair—compromised and surrounded by media crews and authorities of all types. The Titans had been there, and they'd taken the scroll. Though, some crackpot trying to make a name for himself had succeeded in breaking through all of Slade's security programs beforehand. Another of Slade's failures—he only wished he had made more time to replace the security system himself.

After the fourteenth chant out of the book in front of him, a glow began to appear on the room's wall. The fiery color became enhanced by a bright red ring on its outside. It flashed twice, and he tried to keep from getting too excited. This had been his fourth attempt at contact. He had never gotten this far. The ring flared alive, becoming fire itself. The sound of the portal overwhelmed even his computers as it flared over and over again. Finally, the sound died down, and the fire on the wall settled.

**SPEAK**, a deep and warbled voice boomed.

He had to struggle to get his voice back. "M….my Lord, Trigon. Great devourer of the cosmos. I have gone to great lengths to summon you."

There was a sudden rumble from the portal. Whether it was a voice or something else, he could not tell.

**FOR…WHAT PURPOSE?** The voice shook the small room, sounding like the earth growling while it breathed.

"I have found…your daughter. She is here, within my realm."

The rumbling increased, threatening to shake the room apart. Vibrations warped the sound at his ears, and he feared for a moment that his machines would fail from the stress.

**YOUR REALM…HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY EXPLORED. WHAT IS IT YOU WISH TO GAIN FROM THESE…LIES?**

"I make nothing up when I tell you she is here. Her name is Raven, and she hails from Azarath. She must have only arrived here recently."

For an instant, he felt as though the portal were gazing at him, looking him over as if for recognition.

**YOU ARE THE BEING FROM THE REALM OF THE DREADED FIRNUSIUM. I WAS INFORMED OF YOUR VOYAGE THERE…TO SUMMON SUCH A TERRIBLE BEAST.**

He nodded almost too quickly. "Y-yes. I have done so."

**THE BEAST HAS YET TO RETURN. WHY?**

He was already assembling the proper answer in his mind. "Defeated. By a band of protectors—one of which is your Daughter. For only she could be strong enough to defend against such a creature." It wasn't entirely true, but if Trigon could not see that he had been telling the truth about Raven, how would the Demon detect his lie any easier. "She is here. Your anchor. The thing that will prevent you from returning to your prison."

**YOU SEEM TO HAVE VAST KNOWLEDGE OF ME. YOU MUST ALSO REALIZE THAT MY CURRENT PRISON…REMOVES ALL OF MY POWER MIGHT I EVEN ATTEMPT TO LEAVE. IT MIGHT SADDEN YOU TO LEARN…THAT I HAVE ALREADY EXECUTED SUCH AN ATTEMPT.**

"Then allow me to be the bearer of good news." He reached to his side, picking up another tome and raising it towards the portal. He was unsure of whether or not he could be seen from the other side, but he made the gesture regardless. "I have the tome of the Elders. The _Zhinsuikai_, _or Tomasz indo Lendrunos_." He gained more of his composure back. "You might be aware of it."

Again, the room rumbled threateningly. **MY CHILD. YOU SEEM TO HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING FAR MORE OF ME…THAN I MIGHT KNOW OF YOU.**

He smirked. "Then you also know that the _Zhinsuikai_ speaks of a binding once used. This tome will allow me to be the one that opens a portal from your prison to my realm. Your daughter will be the anchor that prevents you from returning to your entrapment. But, in return, the tome makes you blood-bound to its user. In exchange for your release, you will be compelled to do my bidding."

There was a pause. No rumble, no other sounds except for the computers in the background.

**THIS…IS TRUE.**

"Would you be willing to allow such a trade? I do not wish to control your every action. I simply wish to maintain control over my own world. The rest of my universe…will be yours for the taking. I believe it to be a good deal."

Now, the rumble pulsed throughout the room. He could only assume it was a laugh, but he could not be certain. One of the computers sparked in the background, though it did nothing to disrupt the meeting.

**YOU ARE QUITE RESOURCEFUL, LITTLE ONE. VERY WELL. RELEASE ME FROM THIS PRISON…AND I SHALL DO YOUR BIDDING. THEN, I SHALL EXPAND MY REACH THROUGHOUT YOUR UNIVERSE. I WILL USE IT AS MY FOOTHOLD FOR CONQUERING ALL THINGS MORTAL…IN THIS DIMENSION AND THE NEXT.**

He smiled, sinisterly. "Once the Earth is mine, you shall have whatever you wish. I'll begin the rituals required for removing the wards on my end. Once I have weakened the barriers between your prison and my realm, I will use the tome to bring you here."

**GOOD. LET IT BE DONE. WE SHALL SPEAK AGAIN IN TIME. I…WILL MAKE CONTACT WITH YOU.**

Before he could answer back, the portal flared a brilliant white. Two more computers sparked and smoldered behind him, and the portal dissolved. He got to his feet, waving away the smoke and smell of ozone in the room. He couldn't help but smile. It was perfect. The tome promised complete control over Trigon if he could successfully allow the Demon to traverse realms. It had been true; all he really wanted was Earth. But, having a Demon at your disposal meant much greater possibilities.

It gave him something to think about as he walked out of the room.

**-

* * *

**

**-**

As Starfire and Robin peered out the Tower's window towards the far-off observation dome, Raven couldn't help but pay attention to the other girl's fiery hair. In only a week, the short bob had grown to just a bit past the Tamaranian's shoulders. _I don't think I'd ever be able to manage with that much hair. Least I know why she keeps it so long. What's the point in cutting it?_

Every so often, a flash from somewhere in the carved-out observation dome would ignite, usually near the laser cannon. It had been disassembled down to its frame, so Cyborg and the city crew assigned to him were all starting from near-scratch. Luckily, Chang's blueprints had been sealed up by the police and were quite helpful in rebuilding the project.

"Any luck with finding a spell we could use?"

Raven snorted quietly. "Against my father? The original entrapment spell required the entire city of Azarath. And at the time, Trigon was unaware of what they were doing. I couldn't even begin to get that spell working by myself."

"There has to be something. We can't kill him, if what Zerrich said is true."

Raven nodded. "No demon can be killed. Only banished from one realm to another. Or, sent back to their place of origin."

"There has to be something."

Starfire spoke up. "Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way."

Both Titans looked to the Tamaranian. "Any ideas?" Robin asked.

"We are looking for a magical spell that might somehow send Trigon home. However, Trigon would not remain here but for a single reason."

"Me," Raven finished.

"Would there somehow be a way to remove this connection? Might there be some kind of incantation that could be made useful?"

Raven lowered her head. There was a thought that had been plaguing her for a while. "You could kill me."

"Out of the question," Robin answered sharply.

"The connection is blood-bound. I'm his daughter. That's what makes me the anchor. Death would be the only thing to sever it."

"Oh," Starfire cried, "do not speak in such certain terms. Can nothing else be done?"

Raven shook her head. "No. That part is permanent. I'm sorry."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, simply watching as the sun began to set. "We don't have a lot of time left. Raven, I won't take your death as an answer. Is there anything else you can do?"

Raven sighed a moment, not liking the look on either face beside her. She had been delving into her mind for the past week, searching for something she had absorbed from her time with Malchior that hadn't been tainted. Within what she had uncovered so far, she found nothing too useful. There were still a good amount of spells to go. "There are some spells I'm…looking into. I don't know if they're potent enough. I'm still—"

A sudden flash had the Titans instinctively putting their hands to their eyes. The lounge erupted in angry wind and light, and a vortex spun itself open in the middle of the room. The center of the vortex turned blue for a moment, and a man walked through as it began to close up behind him. A counter-spinning of the vortex sealed the realm door shut, ending in a quick flash of light. Zerrich stood in the room as if he'd been there the whole time.

Right away, Raven noticed Zerrich's clothing. Mostly just dirty, but tattered here and there as well. He looked a mess, and his slightly reddened eyes showed signs of weariness. It was a surprise he hadn't fallen over. Adding to that surprise, Zerrich began walking towards the three Titans with as much composure as he could muster. Raven could see through it, and she was sure Robin probably could as well.

"Zerrich!" Robin was the first to speak. "What…what happened?"

For a long moment Zerrich said nothing. A vice formed around Raven's heart suddenly. She had kept her calm this past week, not letting the worst possibilities get to her. Now, however, as Zerrich stood in front of them, she wasn't very sure she could handle that which she feared. Finally he took a breath. His eyes centered on Raven's.

"He was there," he bit out, softly. "He went to Azarath."

"Trigon?" Robin asked. An unnecessary question, but Zerrich's nodding confirmation made Raven take a deeper breath than she would have wanted.

"It's gone," Zerrich said, quietly. "Nothing is left. No one…is left."

"No!" Raven shouted before Zerrich could finish. Her voice was shaky, and she looked at Zerrich waiting for him to admit he was lying. It was a foolish hope; one conjured up at the last moment. Raven knew it had been true.

"No," she whispered. The crushing sensation around Raven's heart was harder than anything she had ever experienced, and her hand clenched her chest in an unconscious and feeble attempt to stop it. It now felt more like an angry claw squeezing at her as tightly as it could. Her breath became ragged as every memory of home flashed through her mind…along with the realization that it was all gone. She was right—she hadn't been ready for it at all. Her legs shook horribly as her other hand reached for her chest. She couldn't breath, couldn't stand. It was all gone.

She collapsed to the floor, vaguely aware of the sounds of glass shattering somewhere in the room. Hands reached for her, trying to steady her and hold her upright. She could see Robin and Starfire looking around the room as they held onto her. She inadvertently focused on Zerrich. He was saying something, looking her directly in the eyes. Her mind wouldn't let her hear him.

In the back of her brain, she barely comprehended the sudden light and dark show going on in the room. Overhead lamps shattered, placing the lounge in more and more shadow. A table flew straight up, shrouded in black energy. She looked back to Zerrich, understanding what he was shouting without actually hearing him. She had to get control of her emotions. She delved deep into her mind, fighting to find that center-point she could so easily find before. With a very shaky voice, she began chanting, attempting to calm herself. She realized her face was wet. She didn't even remember crying. It took a few more breaths and chantings before she could find the control she needed. The demon inside released its grip from her chest, allowing Raven to regain at least enough control to relax her powers. The room settled down, though Raven still felt the anguish and pain inside.

"I'm…okay…" Raven finally managed, her hands going to the shoulders of her friends. Slowly, she stood herself up. She took another deep breath, locking down her emotions as much as she could. It felt as if a second demon lived within her now. The pain of losing everything would allow the other to take full control. She couldn't afford to feel it. She couldn't afford to mourn.

With the help of Zerrich and the two Titans, Raven made it back to her room where she began the process of meditation again. It would be for the third time that day. She could not remember ever needing to meditate so many times in one day. Raven also knew it would most likely become commonplace in the days to come.


	16. Preparation

**XVI**

**Preparation**

For the past few days, the mood around the Tower had been bleak. With the destruction of Azarath, the reality of what it was they were facing was etched in every window and carved on every wall. There wasn't a moment when the Titans weren't thinking about what was to come. Beast Boy was no exception. He walked out of his room towards the lounge thinking about what plans they would all make today.

The past's effects had been the worst for Zerrich and Raven, and understandably so. Zerrich's entire demeanor had changed since returning from his destroyed homeland. At first, it appeared on his entire person—the look of weights tied at every point of his body. The Titans Team knew that it was the despair of having lost not just his home, but his mission as well. He had come to Earth to prevent the very thing that had now happened. Azarath was gone. The valleys he had described before were destroyed, and the floating city had plummeted to its death in a fiery crater. There was nothing for him.

Then, a matter of days later, his determination came back. He started more research, worked on his spells, and even trained in basic hand-to-hand techniques with Robin. The Boy Wonder had commented on how little the man from Azarath had known, but had made a note that he was grasping the basics. Yet, with all this new energy, there was a very grave look and feel about him. He spoke very little, his dry humor gone. Everything had been about defeating Trigon, nothing less.

Raven was a different chapter. Beyond what Beast Boy had been told about her initial reaction, she was just as stone cold as usual. Beast Boy shook his head as he walked. No…she was even more shut off than before. Raven wouldn't admit to it, but in the past couple of years, she had learned to govern her emotions to a point where she could experience…something. Even if it was all of one moment, it was something. Now, that tiny bit of progress in her was gone. She showed no hurt or pain. She showed no emotion whatsoever.

While Raven and Zerrich were the ones more closely torn by it, Beast Boy was in no way ignorant or unaffected by the past events. Sure, the team might have thought otherwise on occasion, and Beast Boy knew he should be more sensitive. However, that was the problem. Everyone else had his or her little specialties. It wasn't about fighting abilities either. Robin was the leader, the one everyone turned to. Raven was the level-headed one that made her best attempts at keeping everyone else as centered as possible. Starfire was the one who always seemed to be full of positive energy. Even in depressing moments, she knew how to console the others. It was usually very subtle, but it often seemed that while Robin was the detective of the Titans, Starfire's knack for solving problems with some basic common sense could be uncanny. Sometimes the innocent mind could see what the hardened one was blind to.

Then, there was Cyborg. While the two could relate on that off-work level, at least Cyborg had the responsibility and know-how of all things technical in the Tower. Beast Boy had none of those traits. It wasn't about his honed abilities on the battlefield. He was the goof on the team. And that's what Beast Boy often used. Sometimes, all the team needed was a good laugh or some lightening up. He wasn't doing it because he wasn't aware it was inappropriate, it was the best he could do to try and break the solemn mood.

He was aware of the quiet in the lounge as he walked in. Robin sat with a control pad of some kind in hand. Starfire sat next to him, assisting where she could. Cyborg was playing on the Gamestation, something that immediately caught Beast Boy's attention. _Finally, someone's trying lighten up around here!_ The thought of going at it one-on-one became inviting, and Beast Boy made his way to the other end of the sofa. There, a distant Raven sat reading some old book. As Beast Boy made it to the other side of the sofa, he suddenly noticed Zerrich taking up the last space. He, too, sat with a book in hand. Both the sorceress and the mage were deep in the pages of their material.

The green Titan had to shake his head quickly a moment. Beast Boy would sometimes get uncomfortable watching Raven just sit and read like that. All that peace and quiet—all that stillness. How could she stand it? And, suddenly, there was another one just like it taking up the last space of the sofa.

"Duuuude!" Beast Boy finally said. "We got two of 'em now?"

The next moment caught Beast Boy off guard. Zerrich's right eye continued to read the tome in his hands. The left one, however, arched up and glared at Beast Boy. The two eyes looking different directions might have normally looked slightly comical, but the way the left eye gazed at the green Titan made his spine shudder all on its own. He smiled weakly as he put up a hand. "That's okay. Floor in front is just fine. Eheh!"

Turning around and flopping to the floor, Beast Boy sighed. The second Gamestation controller was no longer as inviting as before, and the changeling placed his elbows in his lap and rested his head in his hands. "Hey, Robin," Beast Boy said without looking up. "I was thinking. Do we have, like, any other plans besides that super gun thing we're still working on?"

"We've got some worldwide," Robin responded. "I've already sent word to the Justice League. They're devising different ways to either combat or remove Trigon."

There was something strange about Robin mentioning the Justice League. Beast Boy knew that the Titan Leader hated having to go to them for anything, and up to this point he never had. It wasn't about some dislike for the League, he just felt that this was his team and his city. His responsibility. Robin was putting his personal feelings aside for what he knew was the smart thing to do, and wasn't that Robin's ideology; fight smarter, not harder.

Of course, extra training never really hurt either.

"They gonna end up out here?" Cyborg commented, the action on the screen in front not pausing.

"They'll be staying as they are. Best guess is that Trigon won't be arriving here any time soon. He's used up his strength going to Azarath. Raven seems to think it'll be some time before he's able to try another jailbreak."

Beast Boy looked over his left shoulder at Raven. She continued to read, not even acknowledging her name being spoken. Maybe she hadn't heard. Beast Boy doubted that. Her reaction bothered him a lot. How long would it be before Raven would open up again? Sure, it hadn't been much, but what little change she'd shown had taken so long. How long would it take this time?

"Titans East will be heading home in a day," Robin continued. This afternoon's patrol will be the last one here. They'll rest up and head out tomorrow."

"Sure good of 'em to come out on short notice," Cyborg said. "Then to stick around and help us out and give us a breather? Really went out of their way for us. I'm positive they…"

About that time, Cyborg's game cut off and was interrupted by the Titans' own insignia on the screen. Everyone looked up as the image switched to a shot of Bumblebee.

"_S'up, team? Copy me?_" came her voice.

Robin leaned forward. "Go ahead, Bumblebee. What is it?"

"_Thought you might be interested to hear what we got. Found one of these runnin' around by its lonesome on Fourth Street and Clayton_." Bumblebee angled her communicator to her other hand. In it, she carried the busted mask of a modified Slade drone. "_I kinda hoped it might lead us to somethin' bigger, but it musta realized we were tailin' it. Just gave up runnin' and attacked us. Couldn't do much else but kill it._"

"Just one?" Robin asked, to which Bumblebee nodded. "Never seen one on its own before. I'm guessing you don't think it's a malfunction."

"_No more than you do,_" Bumblebee quipped. "_Got some weird vibes from this one, Robin. I got the team scopin' the area out, but you guys know the city better'n we do._"

Robin nodded. "On it." The screen went back to Cyborg's game, his battlebot having been KO'd during the transmission. Robin stood up. "Beast Boy and Cyborg, we're going to check things out. Starfire, while we're gone, check in with the restoration crew at the observatory. Let's go, team."

That was all that needed to be said. Beast Boy was right behind the other two Titans as they left for the garage. Beast Boy gave one last look behind him to the two still sitting on the couch. Then, he and his team were off.

-

* * *

-

His concentration could not be broken.

He made sure every aspect was in proper working order, every machine, every conduit, every candle and every rune or glyph surrounding him. It simply would not work if there were even the slightest flaw. This spell was not the primary incantation. It was simply the doorway. Not the final door that would unleash Trigon under his control, but there would have to be a start. Trigon would need to regain his strength. He would need his sanctuary for when he arrived. Only Trigon could create that protection, but not with most of his energy depleted.

There was always some way around everything. Years of computer hacking taught him as much. He repeated what he had been chanting for near twenty minutes, and slowly the response came. The runes on the floor began to glow, the hum of his operating system behind him grew louder and the bright light from the candles and energy spires that he'd built became even brighter. The room was alive with activity. Soon, a spark of energy flared in front of him, like miniature blue lightning. Two more sparks flared off before a portal began to take shape, dissolving and returning with each new flash. The energy from the portal created a blast of heat against his face as he continued to chant.

Then, the portal lanced out, striking his face with a bolt of lightning. Only the electric arch maintained itself between him and the portal. His eyes began to glow a bright blue, interrupting his chant. His computers began sparking and firing behind him, the energy load too much. The entire room began to glow a bright white, feeding enough energy to make the one needed spell possible.

Then, the bright blue portal turned a menacing red. The room soon followed.

-

* * *

-

"I don't get it," Robin shook his head, holding the drone's faceplate in his hand. "Why in broad daylight? If this isn't a malfunction, what was it doing?"

"Dunno," Bumblebee shrugged. "But it was on the move fast before we caught its attention. It sure acted like it had some place to go."

"And you didn't see any others?" Cyborg asked over his shoulder. He held his arm out slightly as he took a reading of the area. Robin could see that the panel on his arm plate came up negative.

"Nope," Speedy answered. "At least, none out in the open like this. Mas and Menos are checking out the sewers in case there was something underground, but so far they've simply complained about the stench."

"This makes no sense," Beast Boy chimed in. He poked at the remains of the drone's body, and Robin half expected the thing to explode simply because it was Beast Boy poking it. An instant after the changeling's finger made contact with the drone's armor, the inner workings within the head clicked on. Lights and servomotors buzzed loudly and startled the young Titan. Beast Boy quickly looked at Robin.

"I didn't do it."

Robin took a breath to respond, but Cyborg cursed suddenly. "Big problem, guys. That drone's producing a signal."

Robin narrowed his eyes. "What kind of signal?"

"No idea," Cyborg answered, "but I'm picking it up from multiple spots all around the city."

"What?" Robin walked over to Cyborg. "So there _are_ other drones within the city."

"Dude," Cyborg looked up. "When I say around the city, I really mean _around the city!_ They're surroundin' us!"

Robin looked at Cyborg's display map. Sure enough, on the zoom-out view, there were dozens of blips around Jump City's perimeter.

"What is this guy planning?"

-

* * *

-

"Hrrnngh!" Raven grabbed at her chest, eyes wide, and bent over from her seat on the couch. The tome in her hand flumped to the floor.

"What?" Zerrich asked. He put his tome down and was at her side. His healing energies were at the ready, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

"Something's happening," she grunted. "I…I can feel...it's starting…"

She grunted quickly, squeezing her eyes shut. "Fight him," Zerrich said. "Try the ritual we found…"

"N..n-no," Raven shook her head, "that's not it. I can…feel his power. He's doing…doing something. It's everywhere…hurts…"

Zerrich placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. His fingers took on a light blue glow as he searched for the pain. It was hard to pinpoint a cause for her suffering, and he quickly realized there was nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry. I can't find anything."

"I didn't think you were going to," Raven huffed, looking up at Zerrich. Through the hurt, she had the slightest smirk. "I suppose I appreciate the eff-hrrrnnnngh!"

She squeezed her eyes shut yet again as both hands grabbed at her chest. She came off the couch and fell to her knees on the floor. Zerrich felt helpless and frustrated. He could do nothing, and he didn't know exactly what was happening. Sure, guessing the source wasn't too hard, but if Trigon wasn't coming, then what could it have been?

Then, Raven's eyes opened. Brilliant white light flared out of them, countering the lamps in the ceiling. Quickly, the girl put her hands over her eyes, and Zerrich's own eyes grew wide in a strange combination of confusion and fear. Then, Zerrich looked out the window, and his eyes grew a little wider.

-

* * *

-

"Woah!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Picking up new energy signals. Off the charts! Whatever's happening, it's scrambling my readings." He put his arm down and looked at Robin. "I can't tell what's goin' on."

"Then I'd look to the sky, Sparky," Bumblebee said. Robin turned to look at Bumblebee, then to the skyline that had caught her attention. A bright red glow could be seen in the distance. Suddenly, Robin noticed, the glow began to climb into the sky.

"It's over there, too!" Beast Boy shouted. Robin turned to see that the red glow was everywhere, climbing for the air in a menacingly slow manner. Robin could tell that the red glow was bending slightly. Quickly, Robin understood.

"It's surrounding the city."

He had been correct. The red energy didn't continue straight up. It bent inward all around them until finally it met at the top. The entire city was bathed in a red glow, surrounded completely by this energy field. Every Titan, Robin knew, understood exactly what had happened. They were all trapped. Nothing was getting in or out. Jump City was now cut off from the rest of the world.

And Trigon would be soon on his way.

-

* * *

-

Raven was trembling.

It wasn't from fear or shock, or even anger. Her nerves were simply shot by whatever it was that had happened. Her energy was completely zapped. She continued to stare out at the ocean from the couch, watching Zerrich with his hand at the window doing the same thing. The water took on a red glow, reflecting the field of energy now trapping them all. While it was further away she could see the lapping of the ocean waves from outside the wall, trying to fight their way in. It was also easy to see for another reason—the bay water on the inside of the field was now completely still.

"He used me," Raven said, quietly.

Zerrich turned his head. "He tapped your powers?" The way he asked the question seemed more like he was confirming the obvious. Not for the here and now, but for the future. Zerrich was wondering the same thing she was. Could her father do this again? Was she even more powerless than she first realized?

"Even across dimensions, he can do whatever he wants with me."

"He is imperfect," Zerrich answered, "or they wouldn't have trapped him the first time. He has his weaknesses. What of that spell you mentioned, the one that centralizes your mind. Something Malchior taught you to fight hypnosis?"

"This wasn't hypnosis. I was aware of everything happening. I just couldn't stop it."

"It's worth an extra look."

"He can tap into my power without going through my mind. How can we stop that?"

"We can try the Astral Curtain spell…"

"Even if that could act as a damper, we would have to perform the spell during his arrival. We don't know exactly when that will be."

"I'm not about to give up on this. He has destroyed far too much to be allowed to continue. To break from his prison and start over again." He pointed a finger a little too sharply at Raven for her liking. "And you're not giving up either."

Raven glared at Zerrich. "Face it. The two of us are not about to conjure up some magic spell that will send my father packing. He's a demon. He's immortal. A god."

"Feh," Zerrich growled, looking back to the window. "There's nothing godlike about him. He's a twisted evolution. We've just allowed him to go on for this long. Because of our beliefs in pacifism." Zerrich sighed. "There must be something we missed. Perhaps a spell to push Trigon back through when he tries to arrive. If we can force him to use all of his power each time…"

"Wait a minute. Back up just a little. Evolution? What's this all about?" Raven was confused. Zerrich had never mentioned anything like this before. When he didn't answer right away it was all she needed. "No more secrets. What did he evolve from?"

Zerrich paused. "We…weren't entirely sure."

"But you believe it, whatever it is you think you know. Now, tell me."

Raven eased herself off the couch, walking on weakened legs towards Zerrich. His head turned slightly in her direction, looking over his shoulder to the floor.

"I had figured they hadn't told you. Up until recently, I debated bringing it up…but I didn't think it was crucial. Telling you would have been more than useless, but possibly a damaging detail as well."

"I've had my…we've lost our home. I'm about to lose another one. How much damage could it cause now? This must have been some secret if I didn't know about it."

"Then they kept it a pretty good secret from all of us."

"What?" Raven was growing slightly impatient.

This time Zerrich turned to face Raven completely. "He broke away thousands of generations ago. Either because he chose to leave or because he was cast out. Regardless, he was at one time no different than us."

Zerrich took a breath. "Trigon is from Azarath.

-

* * *

-

The dirt puffed up a bit before finally collapsing in. A pair of tiny green claws came out, and attached to them was a small gopher. The green animal pulled itself from the dirt and morphed back into Beast Boy. He stood up and looked directly at Robin.

"No good," he said. "No matter how deep I dig, I end up hitting the field. I couldn't even tell you how far down it goes…"

Practically interrupting Beast Boy was Robin's communicator. He pulled it out and switched it on. Aqualad's face appeared on the screen as the ocean-fairing Titan treaded water.

"_No such luck out here. This thing goes all the way to the ocean floor. We tried digging under, but the field is there too. I can't think of anything else we could try_."

Robin kept a grim expression. "All right. Meet up with us when you can." He clicked it off and looked at his team. "There's more here than just Trigon at work. If what Raven said is correct, his powers should be too zapped to do anything like this. She also said being in his prison dimension would keep him from reenergizing very quickly."

Cyborg spoke first. "Well, we know what helped to create this energy dome. Each one of those signals I caught before the overload? One of Slade's modified drones. They were taking up spots all along the outskirts of the city. Probably had some underwater too." Cyborg pointed to a smoldering melted pile not ten feet from where the team stood. "And, it probably ended up taking whatever this new guy had left in his arsenal, but it sure did the trick."

"He's somehow creating substitutes for Trigon's power. I don't know how, but if he's the one that unleashed that Firnusium and the one that helped to create this dome…"

"Then, Trigon might not need to use any of his power whatsoever to come knockin' if he wants," Bumblebee finished.

"We have to find him," Robin started walking away from the dome wall. "We have to find him and stop him before he succeeds. He might be crazy, but he can bring hell on Earth if we don't stop him in time."

"Dude, we already searched the city," Beast Boy said. "I mean, how do we even know he's in here? He wouldn't be dumb enough to trap himself, right?"

"No. He's here. He thinks he can control Trigon. If he were going to, it wouldn't be from outside this dome. It's more than just keeping us in—it's to keep everything else out."

"Giving Trigon the time he needs to gain back his powers," Cyborg said. "Looks like the Justice League ain't helpin' us on this one."

Robin pulled his communicator back out. "Starfire, how are things at the observatory?"

"_They are slightly ahead of schedule_," she responded, "_although I fear that even our increased efforts may come too late_."

"Keep them at it. We're going to try and find this old apprentice. If we can't find him in time, you might be the only thing that can stop him."

"_Let us keep our spirits high. I wish you the best of luck. And please, let no harm come to you_."

Before Robin could react, Cyborg towered over his left shoulder and looked down at the small monitor in the Boy Wonder's hand. "Yeah, we'll all be just fine too, thanks for asking about us."

On the other end, Starfire blushed a shade that was dark even for her orange skin. "_Er…my apologies. Of course I wish the safest return of _all_ my friends!_"

Cyborg grinned. "I know ye' do, Star. Just joshin'."

"Uh…Robin out," the Titan Leader spit out quickly as he closed the communicator. Then he looked over at Cyborg. The other was still grinning.

"Hear that? If I bring you home with all sorts of scratches, she'll probably kick my butt."

"Let's just go," Robin muttered.

"Yeah, about that whole, 'going' thing," Beast Boy said. "Where do we start? We've checked this city top to bottom."

"We start by doing a better look at what signals might have been broadcasting while this event was being orchestrated. There has to be a source. We didn't have that before."

Cyborg's wrist panel popped open. "I have a recording of those signals against a map of the city. Let's see if we can't find something this time that I missed…"

-

* * *

-

Raven had her eyes closed. She was chanting in her mind, trying to calm herself down. She'd had to do that quite a lot in the past weeks. Now, for some odd reason, she felt embarrassed chanting out loud. She took a slow breath and began to speak.

"You should have told me before," she said, her eyes still closed.

Zerrich said nothing. He wasn't ignoring her; there was simply nothing more for him to add.

"Why didn't anyone tell me? If it was to hide the truth from the people, why wasn't I told?"

"There's a good chance that they didn't know either--those closest to you. I can't say for sure how many people do...did. Even what I know isn't the entire story. What allowed him to become what he is? Why? And why did we let him go?" Zerrich walked over to Raven. "But what he is now is no different. And that we must stop him has not changed."

Raven thought hard for something to respond with. But, the truth kept screaming within her mind. Finally, she let it be spoken. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to stop him. I can't stop him."

She waited for Zerrich's rebuttal. He only stared back at her. For a long time they said nothing, until Zerrich looked to the reddened sky out the window. "Then perhaps it is about finding those who worship him. This villain Robin is hunting for."

"An old apprentice of an arch enemy of ours," Raven said. "Stopping him will only delay my father."

"Any delays are welcome. Anything to give us more time to find the thing that can stop Trigon." Zerrich turned to look at Raven. "Have you really given up? Do you honestly believe your father will win?"

Raven couldn't look at Zerrich anymore. She wasn't very comfortable looking out the window either. She turned instead towards the couch, her cloak wrapped around her, trying to remove her from her surroundings. Such a thing was never successful, even on a normal day.

"I'm sorry," Raven finally said. "I know you came here looking for something in me that could stop him. I think you overestimated what I could do. If I felt I could have stopped my father, I probably never would have left Azarath. I must've really disappointed you."

There was a hand on Raven's shoulder. It didn't make to force her around; it just stayed there. "We aren't done yet. And the only way you'll disappoint me is if you give up."

Raven finally worked up the courage to turn around and look at the Man from Azarath. "What else can we do?"

"There is another spell I never taught you. The one that wards my person from the mind, whether to query my own or to search through my energies or spirit. I don't know how effective it would be against a demon—imortal or otherwise—but it's a simple enough spell to try."

Raven nodded once. "Show me what you do."


	17. Last Chance

**XVII**

**Last Chance **

"Signal came from in there."

Cyborg pointed ahead of the group. The Titans were far beneath the sewer system under Jump City. This series of caverns had come from a predating subway transit system long abandoned. Robin, Beast Boy, Bumblebee and Speedy all took up positions near Cyborg as he prepped his sonic blaster. After a quick charging session, he fired. The doorway blew open in a shower of debris as the sonic blast punched through. When everything settled, the team walked in.

The place had been used very recently. However, everything had been turned off. All sorts of equipment was strung up or bolted down, ranging from standard computer terminals to some really teched-out stuff. Cyborg had to raise an eyebrow to the setup.

"Our boy knew what he was doin'," he commented.

"That doesn't mean he's not insane," Robin retorted.

Cyborg shrugged. "Ye gotta have enough sound mind to make all this." The Titan scanned around the room quickly with his computer optic, looking to Robin. "Computers are still warm. This guy musta just left."

Beast Boy morphed into a hound, sniffing around quickly. "He went out the door behind us," he said, morphing back.

Cyborg looked to his wrist. "Got a life reading. He's huffin' it quick to the east of us."

"The dome went up about an hour ago," Speedy chimed in. "He's got to have a good lead on us. Even if he took the time to switch off all his equipment."

"He should have left the instant he had the chance," Robin answered. "Let's make him regret that." The team was quick on its feet, Cyborg's tracking unit locked solidly onto the eluding signal. Beastboy became his hound dog form again, both keeping with the scent as well as making transportation easier. Robin took the time to pull out his communicator. Switching it on, he began to speak.

"Raven, Zerrich, do you read? We're tracking the ex-apprentice. Can you give us a hand?"

-

* * *

-

The flight into the city didn't take much time. The only thing about it was the obvious; Raven didn't like Zerrich carrying her. He had insisted, allowing the girl to regain her strength completely. Factually she needed the extra time. It didn't stop her from complaining.

"This is embarrassing," she muttered, her arms wrapped around Zerrich's neck as she rested on his back. A couple of anti-gravity spells made her lighter for a time, allowing Zerrich to maintain some of his strength once they got to their destination. Not that she weighed all that much to begin with.

"Almost there," Zerrich said for the third time. He unconsciously looked around the sky, taking in the red dome and its ugly glow. His communicator went off at his side, and he pulled it out. Raven slid further down Zerrich's back, trying to avoid being seen on the device's minicam.

"_Here's an update on our position,_" Bumblebee said. "_Getting close?_"

"About fifteen blocks out," Zerrich responded. "Be there in a bit."

The image was replaced with Robin's. The image bounced around as the Titan ran. "Have you found anything that might stop Trigon? In case this doesn't work?"

"No guarantees," Zerrich reported. "I'm hoping we can buy more time by putting this guy down."

A hand reached from around his neck to the communicator, and Raven took it and brought it to her face. "Robin. Zerrich found some information I didn't know about. He seems to think Trigon was originally from Azarath."

The communication device didn't respond right away. Zerrich pictured Robin digesting the information. "_Can that help us at all?_"

"Only that it means he's not indestructible."

"_Did the people of Azarath have any weaknesses?_"

"Not in particular. Except for being flesh and blood."

"As well as their pacifistic nature," Zerrich yelled over his shoulder to the comm. device. "But Trigon's not really like the rest of our culture!"

"_Why not tell us this before?_" Robin asked.

"Because I still can't be entirely sure if it's true! Our people covered it up very neatly, and a long time ago!"

"Robin," Raven continued, "I think Zerrich's right. I…feel that it's the truth."

There was another pause before the Titan leader responded. "_You two might be our only answer to stopping Trigon if it comes to that._"

"Then we need to keep it from coming to that."

Zerrich could hear the sound of static for a split second, even through the wind. "_Zerrich still there?_" came Bumblebee's voice.

The hand held the communicator out in front of Zerrich. He took it as the arm wrapped around his neck again. "Here."

"_I gotta ask. Your people believed in non-violence. You really think that's such a bad thing?_"

"It had consequences."

"_So does too much violence_," Bumblebee responded. "_Fighting's not always the answer either._"

"Agreed. There has to be enough sense to know when to fight. Self-defense would be a prime example."

"_Yeah, I kinda think the same way. But there's somethin' about this. I mean, your people died for what they believed in. They didn't sacrifice their morals. It's probably easier to try and fight that kinda thing. It takes some guts to stand on yer principles knowing it'll get you killed._"

Zerrich shook his head. "It got all of them killed. No one left. What good a belief is that?"

"_I dunno,_" Bumblebee replied honestly. "_Unless there was, like, somethin' more._"

Zerrich paused. "What do you mean?"

Bumblebee gave a shrug on the other end. "_Maybe I've just got a hard time believin' all those people died for nothing. Look, I'm not makin' much sense anyway. Try to catch up soon._"

As the image switched off, the Titans' blip appeared on the grid screen. Zerrich veered right and began to dive. "I'm going to fly straight in," he warned Raven.

"Knock yourself out," she said, flatly.

Zerrich ignored the remark, placing his hands in front of him. The two of them took on a blue glow, and the street concrete rushing at them simply passed them by.

-

* * *

-

"Titans, go!"

Robin's shout came just in time as a line of blaster fire from above split the team up. The villain was higher up by two levels, a single iron escape ladder lining the cylindrical chamber from top to bottom. Two of the advanced Sladebots were flanking the ex-apprentice and moving down towards the team as their target attempted to escape. Cyborg lined up a shot for the first one as it dropped for the ground floor. A single blast speared through the chamber, outshining the few lights nearby. The drone turned in midair, angling its back to allow the shot to stream past. Its claws made to slash downward, but Cyborg jumped clear in plenty of time. Two blasts of gold energy zapped the drone where it landed, and Cyborg finished it with one last blast. He looked to Bumblebee and nodded once, then check on the second drone.

The other was already torn to bits, Beast Boy morphing back from his raptor form and joining the rest of the team. Everyone looked up.

"Bee, Speedy," Cyborg shouted, "catch-up time! Slow him down!"

Speedy was quick to string his bow, aiming for the ceiling unseen in the darkness. A moment before he fired, Bumblebee shrunk down and grabbed hold of its tip. The arrow fired, sending the girl off into the air.

"Everyone else," Robin filled in, "let's move out."

The rest of the team hustled up the multi-tiered chamber, no one using the old escape ladder. Robin fired off his grapple and was reeling himself towards the ceiling. Speedy fired an arrow connected to a cable, the winding device attached firmly to his belt. Once the arrow was embedded above, Speed started reeling himself up as well. Cyborg let Beast Boy morph into his pterodactyl form, reaching for his talons and hanging on as they flew upwards.

The Titans made it to the last level in no time. Sure enough, a doorway was open ahead of them, and the team sprinted for it. Before getting through, Cyborg could already see a slumped form on the floor ahead of them. It made to prop itself up as Robin approached.

"Bumblebee," he said, "you all right?"

"Yeah," she muttered, annoyed. "Just ain't too happy about bein' suckered. Thought I had him for a minute." She held the side of her gut, rubbing the back of her head with the other hand. Very few could land a good hit against Bumblebee—Cyborg knew from experience.

Robin and Speedy ran along first, Beast Boy not far behind. Cyborg ran at Bumblebee's side as they caught up to the far end of the hallway. The door at the other end opened up to the top of some short structure, at least compared to the surrounding buildings. It was connected to the abandoned subway under them—so old and built so deep it was simply left for the city to grow around. Cyborg got his bearings quickly, realizing they were in the center of Jump City. More specifically, they were probably nearby the center of the dome. Robin pointed from the front of the group, and Cyborg could see the target scaling another building across from theirs. It wasn't the tallest within the city, but it transcended everything nearby.

A quick explosion just behind Cyborg alerted the Titan to danger, and more followed. Laser beams struck around their feet, coming from the top of the building next to them—the one the ex-apprentice was scaling.

"Get to that other building!" Robin shouted, firing off his grappling hook and zooming to his next location. Speedy latched onto Bumblebee, Cyborg doing the same with Beast Boy as he morphed for flight once again. They were quick to evade the laser fire and land on the roof of the nearby building, the one running parallel to the enemy's. His was three stories taller, and he had already gotten to the roof. Before the team could react, a new set of cannons whipped out and aimed for the Titans.

"Not so fast!" the apprentice warned his opponents. "You'll count twenty guns aimed for your position. They're programmed to work together, so some are designed to flank their target while others aim directly at them. It makes dodging quite difficult, if not impossible." He looked to Bumblebee. "And I wouldn't try that shrinking trick, as it might cost you your friends."

"Give it up!" Cyborg added. "If it means we make sure we stop you and Trigon, you'd be surprised at the sacrifices we can make."

"Oh, please don't. Part of my fun was to watch you battle futilely with my new pet. I would hate for you to take away my entertainment."

At that point, Cyborg noticed the tip of something coming from the roof. At their lower-down angle, he couldn't tell what it was. His robot optic switched modes, scanning through the floors for the equipment above. There were computerized spires in three locations, powering up from a single energy device. _If we don't stop this guy now, it'll all be over!_

"You have to stop this, before it's too late!" Robin called out. "I don't know why you think you can control Trigon, but he'll destroy you the instant he gets the chance!"

"You pitiful boy! Trigon can be controlled. It is written in this tome!" It was at that point the villain raised in his armored glove a large book. It looked like one of Raven's, most likely one stolen from her room months ago. "The Book of the Elders. It describes in great detail how Trigon was defeated. Part of the entrapment involved a…failsafe, shall we say. Trigon was responsible for terrible things, some of which the elders feared only Trigon could repair. A ritual was created that would allow the release of Trigon under controlling circumstances to set right that which he may have done wrong. For security reasons, the precise ritual was not fully described, but it took me little time to discover the proper procedures for myself."

"A controlling spell?" Speedy vocalized. "You're making this up!"

"Before Slade's unfortunate demise, he began to realize the potential in your Titan, Raven. He had his drones target her quarters during their raid on your tower, accessible thanks to his useless new apprentice. The one that did him in by the end."

Cyborg unconsciously looked over to Beast Boy. The Titan's fists were clenched tight, but he said nothing back.

"He was killed before he could make any great use of it. Unfortunate for him, but lucky for me…"

The apprentice's head raised slightly, his eyesight going past the Titans for a moment. Cyborg turned around just in time to see a blue glow dissolve from the roof, Both Zerrich and Raven standing on top of it.

"Aaah!" The old apprentice hissed out. "Our Raven has decided to appear. And she's brought a friend. The sad soul I found that wonderful scroll from."

Cyborg watched Zerrich become angry, his fists charging in blue energy.

"Oh, come now! You were quite maddened at the time. Apparently you don't remember. I was about to praise you on your improvement, but I see that we are not quite in control of our passions even now."

Raven's black energy surrounded her hands as well, her eyes glowing bright. "Why haven't we attacked this idiot yet?"

"Guns all over us," Speedy muttered. "Guy claims about twenty. Don't see 'em all."

"I can pinpoint 'em," Cyborg said quietly. "But I'm gonna have a hard time pointing them out to everyone else."

Zerrich was the one to answer. "I think I have an idea for that…"

-

* * *

-

Robin continued to question the apprentice. He could hear his team discussing behind him. The best he could do was attempt to keeping their opponent busy, if only a few more moments.

"What happens once you've brought Trigon here? What will you do? Have him destroy everything? Do you want to rule in ruins?"

"Don't make it sound as if I haven't planned this out," the apprentice answered. "Trigon simply needs to do enough to guarantee my complete rule. Sure, there will be destruction and a cost in life. Once I'm rid of all the superhero types—oh, and some of you exceptional humans," he smirked while lowering his brow at Robin, "the rest of humanity will determine what is in their best interest. The few undereducated countries that will undoubtedly resist, in all their futile bravado, will be wiped out as examples."

"Do you think Trigon's going to stand by for the rest of your natural life? No spell could—"

"Trigon is simply a tool!" The apprentice interrupted. "He will naturally wish to reign beyond this little world, and when I am secure he'll have his wish."

"Then the people here will wait him out. You might have what you want for a little while, but not forever!"

"Ah, but here comes the greatest part. Once Trigon has departed to bring the end to other systems and their planets, I will be left with some of Trigon's favorite pets!"

Robin's face didn't change in expression, even though his realization caused a chill to travel down his spine. "The Firnusium."

"They _are_ a creation of Trigon's. Didn't you know? Not truly connected to Trigon—they cannot be used as alternate eyes and ears. And they have in their empty little heads a _programming_, for lack of a more accurate word. It makes them believe Trigon is watching them at all times. It even punishes them automatically if they act against Trigon's prewritten will. They aren't the brightest of demonic creatures, but they have great advantages. Especially when Trigon grants their loyalty to me."

"You're insane," Speedy breathed.

"Define me how you like, but with Trigon and my own world army, I'll have the power that even my former master could only dream of."

"You can't promise that," Robin warned.

"This book promises it! My supremacy will be undeniable. And even your pathetic little stance here and now cannot stop it!"

"What book?" Raven said from the back of the group.

"He has your Book of the Elders," Robin answered.

"He wants to use it to control Trigon," Bumblebee filled in. "Something in that book is s'pose to let him do whatever he wants with your dad."

"Not if we stop him first," Beast Boy said.

There was a sudden blur above then past the villain three stories and one building over. It streaked down the building side, and only when it was out of view did Robin notice the ex-apprentice's empty hand.

"Mas y Menos, si podemos!" came the cry as the streak ran back up the Titan's building and stopped in front, a book contained in both of the smaller Titans' grasp. Before the enemy or any of the other Titans could react, a blue barrier streaked across the length of the building in front of them, covering all three floors. On the other side, the automatic guns opened fire at the new movement.

Robin turned to look at Zerrich, the mage's hands up in the air. "Can you see the guns, now?" Zerrich queried Raven.

The dark Titan had glowing eyes, her hands encased in black energy. Robin looked back to the blue wall in front of them, and through it he could see the black splotches attack each gun one at a time, marked now by their own tracer fire against the barrier. When all was done, the barrier dropped, and Robin couldn't help but smirk.

"Titans!" he shouted. "Take him down!"

-

* * *

-

Starfire relaxed her eyebeams, allowing the welding job she had just finished to cool. The rest of the staff hired through the Jump City government stayed hard at work reconstructing just enough of the laser and rotator platform to gain enough functionality for the task at hand. Sadly, it seemed the need for the cannon to be operational soon had become expedited. Her and the team watched as the new red dome barrier extended over the entire city. It took a moment to shake the work team out of their initial shock, but even they had come to realize that haste meant everything.

The best news had come after she arrived during this latest check-up; the salvaged material Chang had built for his newest weapon was quickly grafting into the new project. This new laser cannon would be even more powerful than the original, but would it be enough to stop Trigon?

Starfire looked up to the control seat one of the techs was working on. This time around, part of the control panel was designed to trigger the beginnings of various automatic rituals Raven and Zerrich had established inside the observatory. For each setting Starfire would have to recite the proper incantations which would display automatically on a digital readout just above the panel. Raven had told Starfire that she would know when the spell had been completed. How she would know, Starfire could only guess.

"We must work more quickly!" Starfire pushed the team. "Abandon all other tasks beyond ensuring the operational status of the laser and the positioning platform!"

"Ma'am!" one of the other technicians started. "We haven't completed reinforcement of the dome structure! If it collapses…"

"There is no time!" Starfire interrupted sternly. "Our enemy may arrive shortly. Remove all other personnel from their current tasks and revise work priority accordingly."

"Miss Starfire," another worker walked up, "we're having a hard time adapting the heat sinks with the newer parts. If we can't get those to function properly, I don't think we'll be able to fire this big gun of yours too many times."

"I must ask you to ignore this problem," Starfire answered. "If our task is not accomplished with one shot, there will be no need for another. Now, all of you, concentrate only on the laser's functionality and mobility."

The tech in the control seat got up and climbed down to the bottom, and Starfire floated over and sat in his place. She reviewed the completed controls, testing the display readout and visually following the leads connected to the different containers holding various potions, ingredients and whatever else was needed for each spell. How Raven and Zerrich managed to set everything up to work on its own Starfire didn't know, but the Tamaranian had seen enough of Raven's magic to know when to trust in it. Now, it was simply a matter of getting the giant laser cannon operational in time. Starfire feared that Trigon's arrival was no longer a question of when. The demon would be arriving quite soon.

-

* * *

-

Some of the team members took to the air. Others took up covering positions on their own roof. Robin grabbed hold of Beast Boy's pterodactyl limb as he made his way to the neighboring rooftop. The spires on the opposite roof began to glow, electricity lancing about in all directions from their tips. Raven floated off the ground, reaching out with her mind to the equipment behind their opponent. The glow left her eyes as she realized her lack of access.

Before she could warn to the others, Beast Boy and Robin were the first to hit the invisible energy field. The barrier hadn't been there a moment before, and Zerrich was the second to run into it before Bumblebee veered away in time. Mas and Menos took to ramming it, only to bounce back to their roof. They tried a second and third attack, following up with a series of body strikes from above. Eventually the two wore out, letting go and being slung in opposite directions from their last impact. Raven reached out with her mind, grabbing Menos. Zerrich swooped down and scooped up Mas before he could fall too far.

Raven levitated Menos back to the roof then looked back to the other building. Earlier, Raven had thought this villain to be a sad cliché, falling for Robin's stalling trap far too easily. Now, she understood. It was he who had been stalling the team, long enough for his equipment to begin functioning. Cyborg had taken to blasting at the field with his sonic cannon, Bumblebee and Zerrich taking their turns blasting at the target as well. Raven turned to look behind her. Far off in the distance, another crackling source of energy could be seen. It was on top of another building, and it was getting brighter. Raven turned back to the team, wincing at how bright the spires in front of them had become. A moment of dread ran through her, and she floated to her right to look past the building in question. A third rooftop also housed a bright reaction. At nearly the same distances to Raven's left and right were two more. The Titans were at the center of what was meant to be an extraordinary reaction. _How could we have missed all this?_

Raven floated back to the roof under her, kneeling to pick up the book Mas and Menos had taken from the apprentice.

"_Tomasz indo Lendrunos_," she whispered to herself. "_The Book of the Elders._"

"Raven!" Robin shouted from her right. "Is there anything in that book that can shut all this down?"

Raven couldn't speak. She only shook her head. Robin rushed over to her, taking her by one arm. "There has to be something in here! If we don't stop this now, it could all be over!"

"Robin," she finally managed, shaking her head again. "This isn't one of my books."

"What?" Robin answered, incredulously. "What do you mean? Where else could it…"

There was a sudden reaction, a brilliant flash that blinded Raven even to the extent that she couldn't see Robin two feet in front of her. Then, Raven could feel the rush of energy from all around, blasting at the center-point where the spires were. She couldn't see any of it, but she knew what was happening. _All five points are linking here!_

"We have to get out of here!" Robin shouted from in front of Raven. Without thinking, she grabbed him by the arm and floated in the opposite direction. She reached out with her mind, letting her soul self scoop up whoever was nearby. Mere moments later an energy blast rushed up and smashed right into the entire team. Raven could feel a new energy barrier surrounding her own. She could sense Zerrich close by, engaging his own protective field. The team was levitated to the safest rooftops about two blocks away. Raven relaxed her powers as Zerrich dropped his protective barrier.

Everyone watched as the horrible event unfolded in front of the Titans—in front of the entire city. Sure enough, four beams of energy struck the very center of where they had been. The light source grew, disintegrating the building underneath it. The source expanded out even past the nearby buildings, becoming impossibly large. Raven felt something clutch at her heart just an instant before she saw it. A large mass of red appendages pushed through the light source. Even greater in size than Raven had ever imagined, the giant balled-up fist slid through a bit further and turned ever so slightly. The claws suddenly lashed out, extending violently and curling back into place as they enjoyed what would become freedom.

For the Titans—and the rest of humanity—this world was about to become hell.


	18. The World as we Know it, Part I

**XVIII**

**The World as we Know it**

As terrifyingly loud as the sounds coming from the very center of Jump City had been, the people slowly coming out of their homes to investigate were not a mad flurry of chaos. They were timid, cautious. They looked to the center of the city from as close as a handful of blocks away to as far as the hilltop cabins bordering the newly erected energy field. The sudden noise was no surprise to them, having witnessed recent events. It did, however, peak their curiosity.

They came to see the brilliant light, either directly or at least the fringe glow from over those series of buildings too tall to allow full view. Those that could see clearly noticed the spot of deep red piercing the center. The spot became a large appendage, then a full body along with it. The form itself was only clear as a red silhouette, but that was enough to give off its shape. A humanoid being, impossibly tall, glided forward from the light in ironic fashion.

The building originally standing where the light had placed itself was gone, incinerated and turned to dust and debris. Now, standing at well over the height of the destroyed building was this creature. Ringed bracers surrounded his forearms, with partial body armor covering his waste. A sash dangled at his side, swaying forward from the force of energy behind him. Symmetrical black stripes covered him from his shoulders to his waste. The creature took its first step against the concrete, a giant hoof stomping firmly into the ground. The entire city shook with the step, shaking no less with the second.

The monster's powerful fingers flared out, the claw-like black nails reflecting the light from his portal. He raised his head to the reddened sky, his four eyes taking in his surroundings. The crowned horns looked to grow out of his forehead like stripped and crooked trees—all except for the very sharp ends. The monster looked back to the landscape, satisfied at least temporarily with his settings. The apprentice standing two buildings away knew the look of satisfaction, even though it mattered little to him. For all those who simply watched in curiosity were certain to have a change of heart once they had witnessed the arrival of this powerful being. Those that did not would learn soon. This was Trigon, the Terrible. All were meant to fear him.

The apprentice, however, had no reason to fear. The arrival meant the binding was now complete, and this terrible creature would do as he was commanded. The portal behind both of them started to flicker and fade, its use coming to an end. The terrible demon finally pitched its gaze at the apprentice, and both smiled.

"My Lord," he called Trigon, though he wanted to smirk at his own statement. In the end, eventually, he would let the monster do as he wished. Until then, he would become his pet. "Your…new dwelling has been completed. You shall have complete solitude as you work to regain your strength for the coming destruction. Of course, that will require the destruction of this entire city to guarantee your seclusion."

Trigon took his first breath to speak, the rumble within his gut alone causing the air to vibrate.

**I FIND THIS SANCTUARY PLEASING. YOU HAVE DONE WORTHY, YOUNG ONE. IT HAS BEEN AGES SINCE ANY MORTAL HAS BEEN ABLE ENOUGH TO PERFORM SUCH A TASK.**

"Your strength must be terribly diminished," the apprentice continued. "Fear not. Your anchor is nearby. With her, you shall be able to remain until you have gathered enough strength to break the curse."

The young man had to wonder for a moment if Raven had ever told her friends anything about her role regarding her father. He figured they knew her importance as far as keeping Trigon here. But had they known that her death—a sacrifice during a ritual only Trigon could perform—was such a significant part of the demon's freedom?

**MY DAUGHTER'S FATE…IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE. I REQUIRE HER NO LONGER.**

The apprentice looked up at Trigon. He paused at first, not sure of what the demon meant. "I do not understand. You need her sacrifice to remain."

**FOR A TIME, THIS WAS TRUE. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE ALTERED THAT CONDITION PERMENANTLY.**

"I have…" the villain stumbled, "…I performed the rituals precisely. There should not have been any anomalies!"

**YOU ARE CORRECT, LITTLE ONE. EVERYTHING YOU PERFORMED WENT PRECISELY AS IT WAS INTENDED. INCLUDING FOREVER REMOVING THE BURDEN OF MY KIN.**

The young man remained confused. Was there something in the incantations he performed that destroyed the connection between father and child? The other forced a smile. "Ah! One less obstacle for us in our domination of this world. And the nex—"

**ONE LESS OBSTACLE…EXCEPT YOU HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE ERROR IN JUDGEMENT. I PLAN TO RULE ALONE.**

Trigon smirked. That was when the apprentice began putting the pieces together. "Wait. What is this! I brought you here!"

**AND FOR THAT I THANK YOU. AS OF THIS MOMENT, YOUR SERVICES WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED. SAVE ONE. A SACRIFICE IS STILL ESSENTIAL TO MY REMAINING HERE. THE BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR MY COMING.**

"No! You must do as I command! The Book of the Elders binds you to me!"

For the first time since stepping out of the portal, Trigon moved. He lowered himself to the height of the smaller building, the one with the villain clothed in black and gray armor perched at its top. The movement was swift for something so gigantic, his uncanny speed seeming so natural as he crouched to his desired level. Trigon turned his head towards the small human, his four red eyes widening as he smiled. The monster's teeth looked sharper than his black claws.

**I WROTE THE BOOK OF THE ELDERS.**

Trigon straightened to his normal height just as quickly, his body rushing past the building with a speed that took the winds with it. However, even after his body straightened and stopped, something else continued to climb into the air. Trigon's right hand came up from his side, the fingers extended out. The apprentice looked up as the creature raised it well over his own head. Then the limb came slamming down, so quickly that the air pocketed under it forced the villain off his feet before the final blow even came.

-

* * *

- 

Trigon slammed his hand into the building, curling his fingers around the roof on impact. Debris and concrete exploded in all directions, the top two stories disintegrating as the monster closed his fingers. The rest of the building could not handle the terrible impact from above, and the floors collapsed onto each other until the entire structure was completely destroyed.

Beast Boy cleared his throat. "Okay, raise your hand if you didn't see that one coming."

From blocks away, the Titans watched as Trigon walked all of one step to remove himself from the disaster he had just made. His head turned towards the Titans, and there wasn't a soul there that didn't get a shiver up their spine. Raven felt as though she was feeling the shivers of every citizen in Jump City traveling up her back. Her worst fears had been confirmed. There was her father standing in front of her. In a normal family, this should have been a more joyous moment.

Instead, Raven found herself erecting a black barrier as Trigon took the crumbled two stories of concrete, rebar and who knows what else and chucked it straight at the team. Zerrich had followed suit, and those that were farther away than the fields could extend had flown off in different directions. The human and vehicle sized chunks of debris pelted off the two barriers, rooftops and building walls, exploding into smaller fragments on impact. Her barriers dropped after everything lethal had flown by. She looked to the rest of the team, everyone knowing they could no longer stay where they were.

The only problem was that the Titans had absolutely nowhere to go. In any direction, the sheer size of Trigon meant there was no range limit. Raven looked over her team again, no one quite sure what to do. The worst thing she witnessed was Robin. He struggled to even speak, unsure of what commands to give—if there were any to give at all. Everything the team had trained in up until this point was about keeping Trigon from even arriving. Beyond the plan involving the observatory, they had nothing.

"How do we fight him?" Beast Boy chirped, waiting for some kind of instruction.

"I…" Robin still had no answer. Raven was pretty sure—even without reading Robin's mind—that the answer was meant to be 'I don't know.' As team leader, it would probably have been the worst thing to say. Somewhere in his mental stagger, the Boy Wonder must have realized that too.

"We come in close," he finally said.

"What!" a few of the Titans voiced in unison.

"The dome's supposed to give Trigon time to regain strength. Which means his powers are still weak. That gives us an advantage."

"And the only cover we'll have anyway is the city itself," Raven finished, understanding the logic.

"Great," Speedy responded. "That is, if he doesn't make it fall on top of us."

"That just means you'll have to keep on your toes," Cyborg chimed in.

"I say we let our flyers go on distraction so the runners can get in closer," Bumblebee said, hovering in closer to the group.

"Then we better get moving," Zerrich answered. He looked to Raven. "We can start with some diversion spells."

The dark girl nodded. Cyborg jumped into the air and over the edge of the building just under where Raven was hovering. Before she could widen her eyes in surprise, the Titans back split open. Two cylindrical devices slid out and wasted no time at all igniting. _A rocket pack? When did Cyborg get a chance to install that?_

One thing was certain; it gave the Titans an extra flyer. Considering the size of their target, air strikes were probably going to be the call of the day.

"Titans," Robin yelled, "let's do this!"

Raven, Zerrich, Bumblebee and Cyborg took a direct heading for Trigon. The monster straightened as he watched the group fly at him. In an instant his hand reached for another building top, smashing through it and forcing the rubble to fly at the team in a myriad of projectiles. Most of the team took to splitting up, Raven and Zerrich blocking off large chunks with their defenses. Cyborg brought out his sonic cannon and blasted half a floor coming straight for him, blowing it to smaller pieces and sailing through the debris. Bumblebee minimized her body to better avoid the mess coming at her.

Before they could regroup, a blast of wind pushed at Raven until she could no longer fly forward. Trigon had taken a massive breath, creating hurricane-force winds with his lungs. The other Titans were pushed in various directions, recovering by taking refuge behind nearby buildings. Raven, however, held her place. Trigon looked directly at her, and the winds died away.

**AH, MY DAUGHTER. AT LAST WE MEET FACE TO FACE. THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE MEANT TO BE OF A DIFFERENT KIND, HOWEVER I DO NOT FEEL IT NECESSARY TO OBJECT.**

Raven didn't know what to say. For the first time in her life, she was looking directly at her father, the monstrous being glaring back with four powerful eyes. She had to force her emotions in place, especially at such a critical time as now. Yet, the feelings her father was bringing out of her were too difficult to completely suppress. She feared him, hated him and wanted answers from him as to why she was the thing she had become.

**I SEE WE HAVE BEEN PRACTICING IN SORCERY. I WOULD EXPECT NO LESS. I AM, HOWEVER, CURIOUS AS TO WHY SUCH AN OBSTRUCTION SPELL WAS NOT IN EFFECT WHEN I USED YOU TO CREATE THIS HAVEN.**

The girl's spirits lifted ever so slightly. Zerrich's wards were indeed currently in effect on her person, and they seemed to be doing the trick. Trigon could no longer take control of her body. But Trigon made note of this far too casually for Raven's liking.

**IT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE. ONCE MY STRENGTH HAS FULLY RETURNED, YOU SHALL HIDE NOTHING FROM ME.**

"You don't belong here," Raven finally growled out, her eyes glowing white. "And we're going to make sure you get sent back to your prison realm where you belong."

The demon chuckled, a deep pulsing sound that caused everything nearby to rumble.

**I BELONG WHERE I DESIRE. I HAVE NO LIMITS.**

A blast of blue energy smashed into Trigon's cheek. Besides the monster's left eyes closing for a half-instant, the sonic shot didn't seem to have much effect. Cyborg raced up from behind one of the shorter buildings, and Trigon shot his breath violently at the Titan. The sudden blast of air slammed into Cyborg's body, sending him out of control. Yellow and dark blue blasts of energy pelted Trigon from two angles, and Raven joined in with a magic blast of her own. Zerrich and Bumblebee swooped in and away with a blitz attack. Just the same as with Cyborg, there seemed to be little it was doing.

As the other two peeled off, Raven watched as her father grabbed for the center of another building. His full hand went through and around middle floors, surrounding the section that came out between his fingers. As the rest of the rubble collapsed—creating a thicker cloud around Trigon's knees, the demon aimed for the fleeing Zerrich and threw the entire pack of building debris. The giant ball of concrete, rebar and office material maintained its shape as it flew through the air dead on for Zerrich's position. Raven almost gasped as it made impact, exploding out in different directions and leaving a heavy cloud at its center. From the impact point, Raven could see a blue sphere. The barrier disintegrated, and Zerrich continued to fly away from the monster below him.

Cyborg made a quick approach from just behind Raven, blasting away once again with his sonic cannon. Trigon put up his left palm, absorbing the attacks until Cyborg began to break off. With his right hand, the invader snapped a small antenna off a building rooftop, taking careful aim for Cyborg's position. The robotic Titan was too far away for Raven to use any protective fields, and Trigon was going to make his shot count.

The dark girl acted fast. She flung her hands out in front of her, chanting quickly as her eyes took on a white glow. Her fingers flashed suddenly, and a simultaneous series of brilliant flashes blasted across Trigon's face. His eyes flared then squeezed shut, the antenna in hand dropping countless stories into the dark clouded debris now along the city ground. Trigon instinctively reached for his eyes with his left hand. The dark Titan repositioned herself left of where she had been hovering, blasting Trigon with a stream of black energy. He batted at the stream like one would a series of insects. The next moment, Cyborg ducked behind a separate building further away.

**SUCH A WONDEROUS TRICK, MY DAUGHTER. DO YOU PRESUME TO SURVIVE MY WRATH WITH THE USE OF THESE COMMON SOLUTIONS? I SUPPOSE MY JUDGEMENTS OF YOU WERE UNFAIRLY CHOSEN. **

Raven stopped to hover again, her right hand glowing black. "I tend to get that a lot from people." Quickly, she let the built up blast of soul self fly from her hand. Simultaneously, a blast of blue energy approached from Trigon's other side. Instead of impacting with the demon, however, the two blasts impacted with each other. The explosion was followed by a swirling effect, and a beam of light from the energy swirl's center blasted directly at Trigon's mouth. The creature made to roar, except that no sound came. The spell had taken Trigon's breath. The effect was meant to last a few minutes.

However, both mages involved knew that Trigon had no need for breathing. Raven understood that this simply removed one particular attack. It had the added bonus of shutting her father up for the time being. Raven and Zerrich flew around to a further building as Bumblebee started another strafe attack from behind Trigon's head. The two mages came to a hover next to a waiting Cyborg.

"Hey, man, I need a ride back to base," the Titan said to Zerrich. "This new rig I'm flyin' around on zaps my battery pretty fast."

"How long will it take to recharge?" Raven asked.

"Too long, which is why I designed some quick-swap batteries for emergency use. Made seven more, but they're too big to carry 'em all."

Zerrich clasped Cyborg's right hand and nodded. "Home we go," the mage said. A blue wave of energy overtook both of them in the next moment, and they were gone. Raven peeked back out from behind the tall building. Her father was looking right at her.

"Sure," she said dryly, "why not?" She flew back out to battle with Trigon.

-

* * *

- 

"We can't fight him on the ground," Robin said to Beast Boy and Speedy. It was true; the three Titans couldn't even see through the thick debris clouds from the downed buildings. Trigon could move so quickly, by the time they could even find a foot, it would most likely move again. Robin had been used to mere chunks being taken out of buildings in the past. While some structures had collapsed before, they were small compared to the immense buildings in this part of the city.

Then, out of sheer luck, the smoke cleared enough to reveal a giant red hoof holding its place in front of them. Robin was quick to remove two of his freeze discs, and Speedy strung an arrow of a similar nature. Beast Boy was already running forward in anticipation of the attack. When the projectiles made impact, a frozen block erected itself up the large hoof past the ankle. Once the block had fully solidified, Beast Boy morphed into an apatosaurus. His thundering dinosaur form took a four-step running start before slamming hard into the demon's hoof. The ice partially shattered, but more importantly the limb slid across the concrete with Beast Boy's impact.

Before anything could happen, the iced-over hoof pulled up and into the mass of gray cloud cover. Robin didn't have to give the order to scatter; Beast Boy had already morphed into a small humming bird while Speedy had taken to sprinting in the opposite direction Robin had. After what seemed like forever, the leg pierced the smoke and slammed back down onto the concrete, shattering both the ice as well as the ground. Everything shook, and Robin had to keep from stumbling during his run. Robin turned around and realized the mistake they'd made.

He couldn't see any of his team. They had to get out of this mess.

Robin quickly pulled out his communicator. "Any flyers still out there, come in!"

"_S'up, Rob?_" Bumblebee answered.

"Drive Trigon out of this debris. Get him into a smaller part of town where we can avoid a smokescreen."

"_We can try, but I got a feelin' Trigon's gonna do things the way he wants to do 'em._"

"Do the best you can!" Robin put away the communicator and removed his grapple hook. He shot it blindly up a building side, letting the device reel in the line and pull him swiftly into the air. He pierced the clouds and appeared in the fresh air environment, a deep red still painted over everything. He noted Speedy had come up with a similar plan, using his wench to scale another nearby building. Hopefully, Beast Boy had flown out as well. Robin looked up at Trigon, the monster towering over the entire city. He allowed the grapple to detach from the foundation it had sunk into, freefalling for just a moment before the next shot he fired could reel him to another position. He landed neatly on the roof of a much smaller building.

Trigon had noticed his movements and began walking towards him. Robin placed three discs on the ground as Trigon raised his hand to flatten both Robin and collapse the roof under his feet. At the last second, he fired his grappling hook again, swinging away from Trigon's impact. The discs exploded under the demon's palm, the fires blasting up through his separated fingers. He pulled his hand away more quickly than he had with the other buildings, but he showed no other reaction. Robin swung down to the street below, just where the cloud of debris was crawling along. He landed on his feet sprinting, keeping ahead of the mess and farther ahead of Trigon.

As the dust clouds began to creep over him again, a quick gust blew past the Titan leader. Suddenly, the clouds of debris seemed to hold back, a blur of white and red maneuvering just in front of it. Mas and Menos held the mess off as Robin continued to move. Leaping from seemingly out of nowhere, Speedy landed next to the Boy Wonder. Both boys continued to move away from the demon, Speedy turning to fire one of his arrows behind him. With very little time to aim, the shot still landed against the right of Trigon's chest. The explosion erupted in a blast of nearly-invisible smoke, and even the giant monster reared back slightly.

"Concussion arrow," Speedy huffed. "Doubt it'll hurt him, but it looks like we can make him move."

"It also looks like we've finally got his attention," Robin said as the monster behind them took its first step in their direction. A blue flash of energy appeared a few blocks ahead of the two boys. Zerrich and Cyborg came out of the portal, suddenly running alongside Robin and Speedy as they passed.

"Is it me," Cyborg said, "or do you think grouping us together like this is a real bad idea? Especially with big red baddie behind us?"

"He's gaining fast!" Robin yelled out. Speedy turned to fire a second arrow, only this time his aim was much higher.

"Shield your eyes!" he warned.

"Better idea!" Zerrich yelled back, surrounding everyone in a blue barrier. When the field dissolved, Robin found that he and everyone else were further out of the city by a handful of blocks. Trigon had his hand out in front of his eyes, his head ducked down slightly. The arrow had obviously been a flash-type, as little sparklers were still fizzing out in front of him.

"I think this guy's learning," Cyborg said.

The monster lowered the limb, blinking his four eyes as he looked around for his prey. "I think he still caught the beginning of it," Zerrich pointed out. "Robin's right, we can't stay together."

From behind the Terrible beast, a black orb grew. It flung itself to the back of Trigon's neck, the demon rocking from the impact. A series of golden orbs plastered across the monster's forehead, and Trigon took a swipe at empty air. At least, it seemed that way from where the team was standing.

"What are we gonna do now?" Speedy asked. "This just seems way too impossible."

"One way or another, he's flesh and blood," Robin answered.

"Everyone's sensitive to something," Cyborg said.

"We know he doesn't like those bright flashes," Zerrich added, turning to Speedy. "Even that arrow you fired had an effect."

"I'll bet his ears aren't too keen on real loud noises either," Cyborg nodded, letting his arm reform into his sonic blaster.

"It'll at least serve as a distraction until we get that cannon working." Robin turned to look out to the bay. The observatory was still flashing with life. Would they even get the cannon to function at all?

-

* * *

- 

"We've got the cannon ready," one of the techs yelled up to Starfire, "I think anyway. But it'll be a bit before we get it loaded!"

"Are we able to rotate the cannon as yet?" she inquired from the cannon's control seat.

"Dunno! I'll find out!"

"Answer's still no," another technician spoke up from below Starfire's other side. "The thing's just too big. The replacement parts keep jamming when we test them out. I don't know if they'll turn us where we need to be…_when_ we need to aim this thing."

"Perhaps it would help if I…'got out and pushed,'" Starfire turned back to her controls.

"It just might, actually. I'll keep working on it, but I doubt it'll go anywhere."

"I know that you are doing your best," Starfire looked back to the technician below, "but this planet's fate may rest in our ability to make this observatory move. Do what you must."

As the worker went back to work, Starfire's communicator beeped. She answered it quickly.

"_Star, any progress?_" Robin asked.

"We have brought the cannon online, but we are still unable to aim. It does not look possible at this moment, but we are still trying."

"_That'll have to do. We'll try and line him up with your current position. Get everything warmed up and ready. We might not get another chance at this._"

"Understood. Tell Raven I am going to begin reciting her magic spells." Starfire clicked off her communicator and looked back to the workers around her. She then looked back to the control panel in front of where she sat. The loader mechanism showed to be in its loading phase, blinking on and off accordingly. She flicked two switches on the lower panel, triggering one of the sealed-off spells behind her. The solid chamber had an indicator light in red, and the light switched green to indicate whatever it was supposed to be doing had begun. The top of the container began to vent smoke as it was designed to, the powders set up inside already ignited. The coil leading to the weapon began to glow, and Starfire turned back to the display in front of her. She chanted the text that scrolled across her display, the one part of this entire procedure she had rehearsed beforehand. The glow from the coil traveled to the weapon, causing the barrel to take on a very slight glow of its own. The spell was working. At least, the first one had seemed to take effect. There were more incantations to recite, but they would have to wait until after the cannon had been loaded before they could work.

Hopefully, all that they were doing would.

-

* * *

- 

"_Starfire's getting the spells ready_," Robin reported. Raven hovered behind one of the taller buildings as she held the communicator in her hand. "_The bad news is they can't get the cannon to move side to side. We'll have to lure Trigon in front of its line of fire._"

"Keep my father busy," Raven said. "I have to concentrate to help Starfire with those spells."

"_Just keep out of the way. We'll do everything we can. Robin, out._"

This was where things got dangerous, on many levels. She could not be interrupted while performing the incantation she had rehearsed. That meant there was one less combatant to tackle Trigon at the moment, though it hardly seemed to matter. There was also the possibility that Trigon, even in his weakened state, might sense the magic being performed. That might not have been so bad before, but with news that the observatory couldn't rotate meant the team couldn't afford anything to go wrong. Raven still had her doubts as to the effectiveness of this attack, but it was worth the effort. The four spells contained within the observatory were a combination of magic powders and candles, as well as drawn runes meant to invoke the potency of each spell's ability. Her incantation would serve as a guide, making sure that Starfire had the backup she would need when reciting the proper words.

Trigon was already making his way out of the larger part of the city to the smaller buildings of the downtown area. Still many stories high, these structures only came up to Trigon's knees with some surpassing his waist. He made little effort of plowing through them as he made his way towards the attacking Titans. Raven had to remove herself from watching the showdown to concentrate on the spell at hand. She closed her eyes and began quietly chanting to herself.

-

* * *

- 

The large loading mechanism of the cannon slid tightly into place, hissing as hydraulics sealed the large cap down. Starfire flicked another switch, reciting a second spell. She spoke the words perfectly, having been coached thoroughly by Raven long before this day and having devoted herself to perfecting each spell. She almost didn't need the display, but safe was better than sorry. With the flick of a third switch, she began the recital of another magic spell. With half the observatory still removed from its last use, the entire battle could be seen in front of her. Still, she dared not ruin her concentration.

The cannon seemed to react to the different magic taking affect, glowing in certain areas or humming in ways it hadn't been doing before. Starfire flicked another two switches and began chanting another spell, her control panel itself taking on an unworldly glow. She could feel the new power around her and could only hope it would all be enough to stop Trigon before he could destroy the world…as well as the universe it resided.

-

* * *

- 

Cyborg activated his jets once again. He'd hoped to hold off on their use for the moment, but it looked like show time was arriving. They'd succeeded in luring Trigon out of the larger part of the city. They didn't want to track him too close to the observatory at the risk of revealing their plan. They simply needed to bring him in front of the cannon's aim. The Titan flew up the leg of the monstrous demon, maneuvering out as the creature's steps changed the organic landscape Cyborg was flying alongside. Passing the demon's shoulders, Cyborg fired a sonic blast for the giant mouth above him. The shot tagged Trigon's upper lip, the corner sneering from the blast and teeth flashing in anger.

The giant head turned away as Cyborg flew up past the neck, and he had to bank hard to avoid the tendrils of hair that threatened to whip him out of the air. He spun in the other direction to avoid the massive horn as it came back around to pummel him into nothing. Missing the treelike antler by a foot, Cyborg leveled out and flew directly over the top of Trigon's head. He then dove straight down over the monster's back, turning around and firing another sonic blast at Trigon's neck. The energy smashed into the creature's hair, not quite getting through to the tough skin behind it.

As Cyborg turned to his left to come around for another pass, he could see two small explosions in front of Trigon's right shoulder. They seemed to do very little, except for the bright flash that silhouetted part of Trigon's body. His head turned away from the blasts, and as the light died away a new explosion appeared in front of Trigon's face. Trigon reached for his eyes with his right hand. At that moment, Bumblebee flew up to Trigon's right ear, firing a series of golden bolts into the giant canal. This time, Trigon's entire body turned to the right, reaching for where Bumblebee had been…except she had disappeared.

A moment later, she had returned to normal size further away, and Trigon took a large step in her direction. The Titan flew back towards Trigon, blasting for all four of his eyes. The monster was quick in putting his hand in front of his face, absorbing the blasts without much fuss. Of course, the larger objective was simply getting Trigon's attention. Cyborg began to fly back towards the tower, Bumblebee ahead of him. Further out, a green pterodactyl had Robin on its back. Both Titans were also heading for home.

The cannon's aim was somewhere between the Tower and the start of the city. They had to lure Trigon into the water. Trigon followed, taking a step onto the nearby docks before placing a hoof into the water. Cyborg hardly noticed the height difference in the monster as it trudged into the bay. It would only be a few more steps…

-

* * *

- 

The last of the spells had been completed, and the cannon was taking on a life of its own. She still had up and down movement, but the horizontal axis still didn't work. She angled the cannon down slightly, aiming for where Trigon's chest would be. She hadn't wanted to risk moving the weapon until absolutely necessary, not wanting to give away their secret attack. She peered out of the observatory, watching Trigon chase after her friends. The being took another monstrous step through the bay. One more step would do it…

-

* * *

- 

_YOUR FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO MAKE WAR IS LAUGHABLE, MY DAUGHTER._

Raven had to fight hard to keep her concentration as she muttered the focus spell. Her father's voice echoed deep within her mind as it grasped onto the different spells within the observatory that were flaring to life. She could sense the various magic beginning to interact, needing that extra bit of control from her.

_AT THE MOMENT, YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM OF YOUR OWN THOUGHTS. I CANNOT DELVE INTO YOUR MIND, ALTHOUGH I AM MOST CERTAIN YOU CAN HEAR ME. YOU HAVE ANTICIPATED THIS DAY, WHETHER YOU ENDEAVORED TO RUN FROM YOUR DESTINY OR NOT. YOU HAVE ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE FUTURE WAS INDESPUTABLE._

The spell in her mind seemed to lighten in weight. It suddenly dawned on her that Zerrich might have been somewhere attempting the same focus spell. This was a spell she had mastered, but Raven had also taken the time to explain it to him.

_THESE MORTALS YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE YOUR DAYS WITH…THEY HAVE MADE A CONSIDERABLE EFFORT TO OPPOSE ME, REGARDLESS OF THE INEVITABLE OUTCOME. THEY REMAIN ONLY AS A RESULT OF MY OWN LACK OF STRENGTH, BUT THAT WILL NOT STAY ME FOR LONG._

She squeezed her eyes tightly, trying hard not to let the distraction in. Her heart rate increased, threatening to rip her chest open. She didn't have the time to start a calming spell. The focus of her other magic was far too important…

_DID YOU BELIEVE THIS INFERIOR DEVICE WAS CAPABLE OF STOPPING ME? THAT YOU HAVE DEVOTED SUCH SORCERY TOWARDS ENHANCING WHAT MEANS IT MAY HAVE ON ITS OWN IN THE PETTY HOPES OF CAUSING MY DEFEAT?_

That was when Raven lost it. Her focus spell shattered in her mind. Her eyes stayed close, but she finally let go of her breath. The quiet panting was more from her shot nerves than any kind of strain. Her emotions were eating at her, and now that she had lost the focus spell, she began to calm herself. It took much more than she would have liked to even bring her feelings to a bare minimum of control.

_I AM SORRY, MY DAUGHTER. I DID FOR A TIME CONSIDER THE IDEA OF HAVING MY KIN RULE ALL THINGS MORTAL AT MY SIDE. I, IN FACT, DESIRED THE NOTION VERY MUCH ONCE I REALIZED THAT YOU WOULD INDEED FOLLOW YOUR DESTINY. YOU MAY CHOOSE NOT TO ACCEPT THIS AS TRUE, BUT IT PAINS ME TO SEE THIS CANNOT BE POSSIBLE._

Lies. The first thought that entered her mind all on its own was that Trigon was lying. Unfortunately, the pain of its reality followed close behind. The thought that Trigon—even in this very sick and twisted way—could harbor any sort of feelings towards Raven as his daughter…

"Never," she whispered outloud. Even if it were true, she would never willingly become that thing she had always dreaded. She had spent her entire life repressing it, fighting it off. "Never…"

_NONE OF THIS IS RELEVANT. YOUR DEFIANCE IS MEANINGLESS. IT SHALL ACCOMPLISH NOTHING. OBSERVE THE THOUSANDS OF MORTALS WITHIN THIS COLLECTION OF PITIFUL DWELLINGS; THE LARGEST ONES TOWERING INTO THE SKY OVER EVERYTHING LIKE SOME MOCKERY OF GODS. THEY SCATTER IN FEAR FROM MY MERE FOOTSTEPS._

Raven couldn't help it. She hovered up and over the building she was hiding behind. Her father was out in the bay, standing completely still. Even from the distance Raven was at, she could see the hundreds of people lining the nearby beach. Many more had scattered and were doing their best to retreat the scene—even though they had no where to run. Regardless of the danger it might have put them in, the rest watched Trigon as he simply stood there. This group was too far away to see the precise damage that her father had done earlier in the center of the city. They still must have known the danger they were in. Yet, they remained, anxious as to what was going to happen next. Raven knew that if Trigon started back, they would scatter as well.

_I AM THEIR GOD, NOW. UNDERSTAND THIS, MY DAUGHTER. YOUR ACTIONS HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT ANNOY ME_._ MY STRENGTH HAS INCREASED SINCE ENTERING THIS REALM, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. YOU MUST BE MADE TO UNDERSTAND THIS. YOU AND THIS PUNY BAND OF REBELS SHALL COME TO REALIZE YOUR PLACE. YOUR LESSON SHALL BEGIN AT THIS MOMENT._

Trigon turned. He remained in place, but he changed from facing the Tower to the mountains behind him…towards the observatory. Raven looked into Trigon's face, and she realized his four eyes were brighter than before. They began to glow even more, and a brilliant white energy with a red tinge surrounded the upper part of his face. His eyes were completely lost in the light.

With a crescendo of high-pitched noise, the light flared out with anger and menace. A deep bass sound suddenly shook the city, and an enormous blast of white and red energy shot from Trigon's face. Raven could feel the pressure change even from so far away. The blast—easily a half-block in width—raced across the reddened sky until it connected with a fierce impact against the mountainside under the observatory. Giant sections of rock the size of houses exploded away from the mountain and out into the city or the bay, but the blast continued forward. It punished the mountainside like a force greater than nature. Even well away from where the impact point had been, the mountain crumbled and exploded from the pressure within.

Raven took in a ragged breath as she watched the observatory suddenly begin to fall. The mountain directly underneath it lost all form of support, falling into the stream of power and disintegrating in mere moments. The blast from Trigon's eyes finally extinguished, but the observatory and all its contents still fell. The explosion of mountainside created a deep cloud of debris, and the half-domed structure pierced straight through it. Gravity finished the job as it crashed into the new cavity of the lower section of mountain, a sound of a hundred thunder-clashes echoing throughout the bay.

The half-dome completely failed, and man-made shrapnel and broken support beams soon joined the rock debris as it all flew wildly into the air. Pieces of rooftop-sized metal paneling spun viciously into nearby structures, doing easily as much damage as any giant boulder that had previously pummeled its way through the surrounding buildings. Sections of bent support beams spun like rotor blades, kicking up pieces of anything and everything from wherever they landed back into the air. The final pieces fell to the earth, but the terrible cloud of dirt and debris hovered over the destroyed site. Through the haze, Raven could barely see a pile of white bits and pieces scattered as if a bomb had erupted from a central point. Nothing could have survived the fall intact. It had all been decimated.

It was horror in motion. And it was only the first real example of Trigon's power. A power that was ever increasing by the moment.


	19. The World as we Know it, Part II

**XIX**

**The World as we Know it, Part II**

"NNNNRRRRRGH!" Robin struggled to get out of Cyborg's grip around his arm. "We have to help her!"

"We can't, Rob!" Cyborg warned. "Trigon'll just blast us the same way."

Robin's mind swam with panic, fear, anger—all the things that blinded him. Most of which he'd trained hard to hold back. At this moment, having witnessed the observatory plummeting into what section of the mountain had been carved away until it had exploded out on impact, all the people inside that had fallen with it…Robin's mind could barely comprehend what it meant. Denial refused Robin the answer of death.

"No!" Robin tried again to pull away. "I can't leave her!"

"Starfire's a tough girl. She's survived worse than that! Besides, rushing all the way out there's too risky, and it's only gonna get us all into more trouble!"

Finally, Robin stopped struggling. He panted from the adrenaline having been spent in his rage. With his mind calming down, he grabbed hold of one rational thought. His head turned to his side. Zerrich had his eyes closed, as if her were concentrating.

"Zerrich!" he shouted. "Transport in there and f—"

A sudden eruption in the water turned everyone's attention back towards Trigon. The giant seemed to be struggling to keep his footing, but it was difficult to understand why. Another splash of ocean flared up around Trigon's left leg, causing the demon to stumble slightly. Further away from the churning ocean, a giant tail burst out of the water and splashed back down.

"It's a whale!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Where'd it come from?"

"Probably trapped here like us," Speedy answered.

"It's Aqualad!" Bumblebee shouted. Sure enough, Robin could see the Titan bobbing in the water further away from where Trigon stood. The monster looked to his feet, understanding finally what had attacked him. His lips curled in an amused smile, one that faded slightly as he looked to his other leg. Trigon kicked out of the water with his right hoof, slamming it back down into the ocean. A mad frenzy of shark fins scattered away, only to turn back towards Trigon and submerge back under the water.

The sea creatures were making little progress, and Trigon turned his attention back to the whale at his left. It was at that moment that an arrow fired from Robin's side. Speedy's aim brought the projectile high, coming down towards Trigon's face.

"Flash shot, cover your eyes." Speedy warned.

Robin closed his eyes until he heard the boom, opening them again to see Trigon blinking the effects away.

"Not too smart when he's distracted," Cyborg said.

Trigon's eyes suddenly faced towards the Titans, their intensity as bright as they were just before he'd blasted the mountainside. Sure enough, a large beam lanced out at Titan's Tower. The team instinctively ducked, but the blast went far too high to do anything. It impacted with the red barrier some miles away, though it seemed to have no effect on it.

The whale made a third ramming strike, this time causing Trigon to take two rough steps to keep his balance. That was the last hope for the Whale as Trigon took a giant step towards the large beast underwater. His hoof crashed through the water, sinking deep into the creature's body. The tail thrashed in the ocean a single time before it stopped moving all together. The demon retracted its hoof violently from the ocean, reddened water flying stories into the air and landing all around. The ocean water in the immediate area—having already taken on a red shade from reflecting the magic dome—grew even darker in its hue.

Then, Trigon looked directly towards Aqualad.

"Shit, man, get out of there," Cyborg barely said.

"Zerrich!" Robin shouted.

Zerrich nodded quickly. "I'm going n—"

Zerrich never finished. The lights in Trigon's four eyes lit up again, and the beam lanced out towards the ocean below. The last thing anyone saw of Aqualad disappeared within the beam—it's width far too great to escape. His silhouette dissolved within the great light, and ocean water blasted up in an angry spray. Evaporating water was steaming everywhere. Giant gas pockets from where the beam cut under the ocean blasted towards the surface, the ocean churning and turning white in a clean line from Trigon's position.

"No…" Robin whispered.

"Aqualad," Speedy said. "I don't…I can't believe it…"

Again, Trigon looked towards Titan's Tower. This time, he wouldn't miss. The blast fired directly for the roof, but before it's brilliant light could overtake them, a blue barrier surrounded the Titans' position. A split second later, the barrier rattled with the immense sound of a freight train slamming into a titanium wall as Trigon's blast made impact. Everything shook with such violence that Robin was sure the Tower would collapse all on its own. The blue shielding in front of them shattered in no time, pieces of it flying like glass shards at a hundred miles an hour. The Titans instinctively guarded their bodies with their hands or ducked low to avoid the debris, but the magic shards dissolved into nothing before any of it could hit a soul.

Looking over his shoulder, Robin could see that Zerrich was now tumbling high over the Tower's roof as if Trigon's beam had hit him directly. Instinctively, Robin bolted over the back end of the Tower, diving after Zerrich as he fell to the ground. He had to make his timing count. Pulling his grappling gun out, the Boy Wonder fired it towards Zerrich. The cable wrapped around him twice, and Robin began to reel the line back in. Reaching Zerrich's body, he quickly undid the two wraps, reeled the cable fully into the firing mechanism and aimed for the right side T of the Tower.

The two were in freefall for what seemed like forever until the line grabbed hold of the building. Robin brought the line in taught, starting his swing down towards the ground—hopefully with enough room to spare. The swing came to its nadir, and the heel of Robin's boot scraped an inch off the ground, kicking dirt ahead of him as he continued his swing. On the way back around, Robin was able to safely land running on his feet with Zerrich at his side. The man from Azarath tumbled forward, wincing in pain and holding his right arm.

"I can't do that again," he said with harshly squinted eyes. "Blast took everything out of me."

"I think he's used up some power," Robin said. "The beam barely lasted this time."

"There's something positive," Zerrich grunted. "What next?"

And that was where the Titans sat. If all the team could do now was work to tire Trigon out, it meant they would have to force the monster to continually exert energy. Doing so would most likely destroy the city. They couldn't possibly wear Trigon down completely—even with the fight they were putting to him, he had still gained enough strength back to fire those eyebeams in the first place. Trigon would just hold off on his attacks again, going for the most basic of offense. And for a creature of his size, it would be enough. From Robin's point of view, the Titans were out of viable options.

-

* * *

- 

Red light filtered through the mix of kicked up dirt in the air and rubble strewn about everywhere. Starfire groaned and struggled to open her eyes. Pain zapped her in so many ways she was afraid to move. Her body was hurting everywhere, but she was alive. Recent events ran back through her mind, that horrific moment when the entire observatory suddenly fell after Trigon fired off a brilliant light from his eyes just below them. Everything collapsed around her, and she hadn't been able to rip the restraints off before they hit the ground.

The young Titan let out a pitiful sound as she attempted to raise her left arm. It barely responded to her mental commands, and her blurred vision could see a mess of brown and red caked all over the limb. She tugged slightly at her right arm, a jolt of pain blasting her shoulder. The arm was most definitely pinned under her. She realized rather quickly that she was still in the command chair with everything turned on its side. The busted console in front of her flickered on and off, showing some signs of life. She looked above her, suddenly aware of the golden glow nearby. The cannon was still intact, at least from Starfire's vantage point. Her eyesight rapidly looked outward towards the ocean. The smoke was clearing just slightly. She could see Trigon in the distance, his giant form unmistakable as it moved. The cannon was tilted slightly up, pointed just to the creature's right. Starfire's eyes widened as the control console continued to flicker. The readings indicated the xenothium was loaded, and the magic was flowing all around the cannon's stucture—the structure mapped from Chang's blueprints. It had called for a much stronger design to withstand the energy produced by the xenothium discharge.

There was still a chance. She watched as Trigon took a massive step, placing him in front of the cannon. She jammed at the trigger button, paying no attention to the terrible pain throughout the limb and praying the signal was still working. Nothing happened. She jammed it down harder, but Starfire still got no reaction from the machine. Narrowing her eyes, she pinched the protruding section of the large red button between her fingers and pulled. The plastic button pulled away in pieces from the console, leaving a hole just wide enough for her index finger. She let some of her energy collect at her fingertip then slid the digit into the console. She let the green energy go, and the console sparked and blew out.

The cannon, however, hummed to life. A low thrum that climbed in pitch filled the space of rock and debris, and the golden glow was accompanied by a new red blaze. This light source, however, was not from the dome outside. She watched as the beam of enchanted xenothium energy lanced out, violently shaking everything around the Teen Titan. She could barely see as the beam struck the monster's back, the red glow from the cannon creating a dissolving silhouette out of him in the distance.

Starfire was suddenly quite aware of the glow's increasing brightness. The beam continued to fire, the sound still increasing in pitch. The surrounding area continued to shake, the vibrations getting worse by the second. There was a loud hissing sound as the back of the cannon cracked—the highly durable construct finally giving in. She reached for her harness just as the glow increased one hundred fold and quickly overtook her…

-

* * *

- 

There was a sudden fear as Trigon took another step towards Titans Tower. Beast Boy had watched Robin dive after Zerrich when the man from Azarath had protected them all from the monster's last attack. There really was nothing else that any of them could do. All their plans had been thrashed, and Trigon was going to succeed in destroying the world. Starting with them.

That was the moment that a red glow shone through from the wreckage on the side of the mountain behind Trigon. The glow quickly lanced out, and a brilliant red beam slammed straight into the demon's back. His four eyes winced, his giant maw spreading wide and baring black teeth. Trigon roared, a sound that forced Beast Boy to cover his ears. Even the soundwaves that followed a moment later caused the changeling to close his eyes and turn his head away. Everyone else on the rooftop had done the same.

The sound stopped, and Beast Boy looked towards Trigon again. The energy enveloped the beast, its arms reaching out at nothing in particular. Red and gold waves of energy danced around the creature's body as the beam continued to cut into his back. His eyes were still shut tight with his mouth still wide open, but he almost seemed to be stuck where he was standing. The cannon had somehow survived the fall, and with its activation came the fact that someone had survived along with it. Starfire was okay.

Then, the mountainside exploded. Beast Boy's relief was turned to horror in an instant. A blinding light encompassed the entire section of the mountain, and the green Titan put his hand in front of his face. The light relaxed slightly, but the boom that followed was deafening. The xenothium beam stopped, allowing Trigon's form to relax and hang limp where he stood. There was a quick streak of red and white that zoomed past the Tower away from the mountain. Behind it, a blastwave of massive proportions swept over everything at the base of the mountain, destroying nearby homes and buildings and pushing the ocean water up into the air. The nearly invisible wave continued outward, slamming hard into Trigon. The being finally slumped forward, splashing into the ocean.

All that was left in front of the blastwave now was Titans Tower. No one on the rooftop had any kind of anchorage, and the blast pushed everyone over the side of the tower like pebbles being swept off a porch. It was almost as if a wall had decided to get up and plow into everything in front of it. The energy pummeled the front of the tower, shattering most of the windows and sending glass everywhere. The flyers struggled to gain control within the turbulence. Beast Boy formed quickly into a pterodactyl before searching around. Sure enough, Speedy had been thrown way too far out to put an arrow line to any use, but Bumblebee was quickly at his side to catch him. Cyborg had reactivated his jetpack, hovering safely in the air. Robin and Zerrich had huddled on the opposite side of the tower, just inside the entrance corridor. Glass had still been strewn about even on their side.

More damage was yet to come to them. A giant tidal wave from Trigon's splashdown was making its way to the small island. Beast Boy swept in quickly and landed near the two boys, allowed them to grab onto his talons and flew up back to the tower's roof. The other team members were gathering there as well. The big surprise came after everyone had made it to the rooftop. Mas and Menos sped their way up the side of the tower and came to a halt on the roof. In both of their arms was Starfire. She was covered in dirt and ash with red-brown splotches everywhere. There was blood around her neck and arm. She also had a cut somewhere under her scalp, as two muddied lines ran down the side of her face. A terrible gash was on her left shoulder, and more covered her legs and left ankle. Her clothes were tattered and stained. She looked like the disaster Beast Boy knew she'd just come from.

Yet, with such a horrific appearance, Starfire still floated from the two small Titans' grasp. She turned around and grabbed them both up in her typical bear hug.

"What wonderful friends you are!" she thanked them. "And what wonderful timing!"

The twins looked as if they couldn't breathe, but at the same time they didn't seem to mind. When Starfire released them, they looked to each other.

"¿Entiendes lo que ella dijo?"

"¡No, pero tomaré un abrazo como aquel cualquier día!"

"Star!" Beast Boy yelled in excitement. "You're okay!"

"Now THAT'S how you kick some demon butt!" Cyborg cheered.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted. Instinctively, Beast Boy took a step out of the way as the Boy Wonder made a direct line for the Tamaranian girl. He grabbed her in a bear hug, dust flying everywhere. Starfire looked surprised for all of a moment before returning the affection. Robin must have suddenly realized the rest of the company, or he realized the fact that he could have inadvertently hurt Starfire worse with her current condition. Beast Boy tended to figure it was the former.

"Er…Star! I'm…I'm really glad you're okay. For a while there, we all thought that…well…"

This time, Starfire took Robin in a hug of her own, and Beast Boy doubted she'd let go as easily this time. "I am glad to be alive as well. And I am thankful for friends such as you who care so greatly for my well being."

There was a new sound coming from below the tower. Beast Boy walked to the edge and looked down. The island was now flooded. Ocean water sloshed everywhere as the giant waves splashed against the magic barrier and made their way back. The beaches were already being flooded out, and people nearby were making their way to higher ground. The water level would probably travel higher and further inland, but the good thing about Jump City was its number of hills. The waves wouldn't make it too far.

"Have we defeated him?" Starfire finally asked, and Beast Boy turned back to the group. "Have we defeated Trigon?"

The waves started up again. A loud roar of ocean water caused the entire team to look over the edge once again. The downed Trigon began to rise back out of the water as it cascaded off of his body. It was a slow, menacing ascent into the sky. Whether Trigon intended it to look that way or not, Beast Boy got the worst of chills up his back as his heart tripled in speed. When the monster fully straightened, water falling stories into the ocean around his hooves, Trigon looked back towards Titans Tower.

"We aren't having a good day," Beast Boy finally said.

A flash of light interrupted Beast Boy, and the Titan shielded his eyes for the umpteenth time. At first he assumed it to be one of Speedy's arrows, except that even Speedy seemed surprised by the effect. Trigon was already taking a giant step backwards in the ocean water. What could have possibly made him do that? Beast Boy began to look around, and he soon found his answer.

Raven hovered about a half-mile from the team. She had a black aura surrounding her, energy tentacles whipping about with lives of their own.

"No more, Father!" She shouted, her voice warbled and booming even from as far away as she was. She was enraged, and it showed in every conceivable way.

"Jeez, Raven, what took you?" Beast Boy shouted in triumph.

"You will do no MORE!" Raven's black magic shot forward in a rush, but it quickly swirled into a bright green energy. The swirls formed into a sphere, a flash of light bouncing off its new surface. Then, a new series of bright tendrils shot forward towards Trigon. The bright green energy turned dark as it flew across the sky, and the darker it got the faster and more menacing it became. The howling sound of Raven's magic put a chill through Beast Boy's spine as it flew overhead and struck Trigon.

The demon put a giant hand in front of him, catching the first series of tendrils. The follow up lines reacted with minds of their own, twisting around the monster's hand and arm until they connected with his shoulder. The darker green entities suddenly turned to electricity, and Trigon reacted in kind as it struck him. His arm whipped around ferociously, attempting to cut off the attacking tendrils as they continued to come at him. Eventually, the energy sphere shrunk into nothing. Raven's attack ceased.

The next strike came from Raven's eyes. A blast of red energy shot forward, and Trigon placed his hand once again in front of the beam. This time, however, the energy seemed to pass directly through the demon's palm, striking for Trigon's chest. The immediate result was absolutely nothing. A few moments later, Trigon clutched at his chest, barking from some sort of pain. The sound startled the Changeling, who jumped with a yelp. Whatever had been done to Trigon, the beast shook his head in anger and straightened as if the attack had never occurred.

**THESE PITIFUL TRICKS YOU HAVE CONJURED AGAINST ME WILL SERVE YOU NOTHING. MUST I EXPLAIN THIS ALL TO YOU AGAIN? YOU MERELY ANNOY ME.**

"Be careful, Father. These tricks are just a few of the things I've been taught!"

Beast Boy went over to Cyborg and Robin. "Guys, I think this is gonna get ugly."

"I say we take advantage of it," Cyborg said. "We need to go back on the offensive. I ain't about to give up just yet."

"Same here!" Bumblebee shouted.

"Starfire," Robin queried, "Are you good enough to fight?"

"For my friends and my home?" Starfire asked back. "I am always capable of helping. I say it is about time we did the _bringing it on_!"

"Probably the weirdest way I've heard that said," Bumblebee started, "but I couldn't agree more!"

"Then let's put it to 'im," Speedy grinned.

"First, I want to get off the Tower," Robin said. "We're sitting ducks. Beast Boy, get Speedy and I to the Lone Fir strip mall. That'll be our standing ground. Everyone else, attack Trigon and lead him to us."

"You got it," Beast Boy said, morphing into a pterodactyl.

"Titans," Robin shouted, "GO!"

-

* * *

- 

To say Raven was angry was an understatement. Her eyes glowed a bright white, threatening with the next blast of emotion to split into two pairs of glowing red seas of hate. Her breathing was ragged, and while her fingers were extended they were tight at each knuckle. She delved deep into her mind, finding those spells she'd buried long ago when they first nearly did her in. Truth be told, they weren't all dark magic. Raven had decided she couldn't risk filtering out the normal spells she'd been taught from the dark ones.

Now, it no longer mattered. The greatest evil she would ever know was tearing apart her city and her friends, and Trigon had no intention of stopping there. Raven bathed in her own anger as she released a funnel blast of black energy at her father. The stream hit him in the chest, and only after the impact did Trigon put his hands in front of it. The energy swam outward, creating a swirl of energy that threatened to surround the demon in front of her.

Trigon, however, pushed back at the assault, and Raven felt the impact against the black energy all the way to her arms. She flew back at a greater speed than she had anticipated, but she was still thinking. Quickly, she conjured a dimensional portal in the sky, sailed through it and appeared at Trigon's side. She continued flying back a little more until she could bring herself to a stop, ending up a few hundred feet ahead of where she'd just been.

Her hands reached to the waters below Trigon. The ocean turned black and began to rise. A tunnel of ocean water flew up into the air, surrounding Trigon. Raven closed her hands together, causing the vertical tunnel to shrink until the demon had no space within.

_YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY HOPE TO DROWN ME, DAUGHTER._

Raven shook her head in anger, ignoring the voice intruding her mind. Her teeth flared as she kept one hand pointed towards the giant tower of water. Her other hand balled into a fist, and with a final chant she thrust her hand again towards her father. A blast of white gas shot forward in a tight stream until it connected with the ocean water. Almost on impact, the water began to freeze. The water quickly became a tower of ice, crackling and expanding quickly as it cooled the surrounding air. The temperature of the blast was well below any kind of average freeze anywhere on the planet—even Robin's freeze discs didn't have this strong an effect. The molecules of any object trapped within were brought to an extremely slow rate, as close to absolute zero as Raven could get it.

The dark girl had a quick thought back to the dreaded Firnusium. This attack probably would have been enough to slow even Scourge's fiery make-up…had she known to use it at the time. Many of the spells she was delving into she had ended up forgetting, which was quite easy considering the information she was given as well as some of the ways in which she had absorbed it.

The tower cracked quite loudly, and two red limbs shot outward. Trigon continued to pound at the icey tomb until he was free, and ice chunks flew into the ocean and the city. Entire buildings took house-sized ice rocks right at their hearts, glass and debris exploding out onto the streets. None of the taller buildings collapsed from this, but smaller structures found themselves crushed by landing ice blocks as if they were paper houses.

Raven didn't care. She was too angry, too focused. Or possibly, too distracted. Her hands swirled into the air again, and a new black cloud began to swirl around her father. Within the dark swirls, flashes of light began to erupt. Soon enough, lightning strikes blasted out and attacked the Demon. At first the attacks were random, but they eventually fell into a synchronized assault. The onslaught increased in speed, striking the monster all around his body.

Trigon roared, the sound again causing everything nearby to vibrate. He spread his arms out, sending a shockwave of energy in every direction. The black clouds cleared away, dissolving into nothing. This time, Trigon looked to Raven, his eyes glowing menacingly. Raven flared her teeth again in anger, reaching out with her senses and finding the magic coming from Trigon. She clapped her hands together once, shouted a single word from the Azarath language, and an explosion covered Trigon's face. The monster's head snapped back, the glow gone from his eyes. Raven's trick had intercepted his power before it could fire. She could only backfire a spell like that during its conception, and truth be told she wasn't sure it was going to work.

As the monster recovered, Raven became aware that her team had once again begun fighting back. Streams of blue and green energy struck the beast from different angles. Trigon swatted at his surroundings, but the streams of energy continued from new points. They would do very little, but the Titans weren't a team of people that could ever just sit back and watch.

Throughout this assault, Raven could not tell in any way if she was truly weakening her father. She would have to start attacking with stronger magic, more powerful than she was used to. She had always known better than to delve into things she was not ready for, and not everything she had been taught had ever been honed. A lot of it was simply information—knowledge on how for a later use. Once she was strong enough.

She didn't have the time for it, now. She would have to be strong enough. She reached back with her mind. Her eyes were still glowing as her hands became surrounded in a bright light. Where Trigon currently stood, three sources of light began to appear. In front of him, a red sphere flashed to life. To his left and right, bright blue and green spheres pulsed as well. A line of light from the green orb struck the red one, and it continued straight to the blue one. All three orbs of energy suddenly blasted their own beams at Trigon. Putting his hands out to stop the streams of energy did nothing as the build-up continued. An Azarath symbol began to form just ahead of the monster. It's intricate lines and calligraphy glowing and changing color. Trigon stopped trying to move, though Raven understood why. The beams were preventing him from doing so.

The three orbs suddenly fired new streams of energy away from Trigon. The light beams met at the symbol, and everything began to glow in brilliant swirls of blue, green, red and eventually white. The orbs were tapping Trigon's power and very soul, sending the signals back to the symbol in the sky. His power would be used against him until there was none left. This spell was dark in design, and the color shift from a brilliant white to a very evil black made this apparent to anyone watching. Raven watched as the effects began to take their final form. The loud hiss coming from the energy turned to a rumble, black energy flaring out in every direction from the symbol in the air.

Finally, the symbol flashed, preparing to strike down the beast in the sea. Everything began to turn a bright white, completely overtaking the red of the dome barrier. Eventually, even Raven couldn't see through the white in front of her.

-

* * *

- 

The sounds of the outside world were suddenly gone. Raven looked around, noting the entire space around her was still a brilliant white—though it was no longer blinding. She looked instinctively to her hands, realizing she could see herself clearly. Her breathing was somewhat ragged, mostly from the anger she'd been using moments ago. _Okay…now what's going on?_

There was nothing beyond the white surrounding her. No casting spells, no Trigon, no Titans or Tower. No Jump City. Did her last spell go wrong? She'd never performed it before, had only barely recalled it after delving into her mind for those cast-off secrets…

Her mind! Was that where she was? Except she'd been there quite often, and it looked nothing like this.

"That is because you are only experiencing the part of your mind I am allowing you to see."

"Who's there?" Raven shouted into the white. She knew that voice, and suddenly she began feeling some old emotions she'd rather never feel again. The white space chuckled, and Raven looked all around her. There was still nothing but empty space.

"Why must you insist on having everything explained to you? Your mind has already discovered the answer. Must you continue to deny it?"

Raven grew very uncomfortable. Fear began to overtake her. Quickly, she started trying to calm herself down, to regain control…

"My sweet Raven," the voice soothed, "you no longer have any control here."

The sound distinctly came from behind Raven, and the girl spun around. A mummified being stood not ten feet away from her. His eyes shown through the wrap of parchment that covered his body from head to toe. More accurately, the parchment _was_ his body. Raven's emotions raced in too many directions to comprehend. Her voice grabbed onto one in particular.

"Don't you _dare_ show yourself like this!" Raven spat. "You disgusting monster!"

"You don't find this form comforting? The two of us came to know each other quite well while I had this appearance."

"You _lied_ to me like this! You took my trust and used it against me! A trust I _never, EVER_ give anyone!"

"Except to me, I see," Malchior chuckled. "Suit yourself."

The parchment practically exploded out, black and purple fires flaring from underneath and burning the paper debris into nothing. The dark flames grew into the air until they took on the form of a large, winged creature. The silhouette of black and purple fire surrounded the new shape completely, and a large dragon pierced the fires with a single step forward. The black flames snuffed themselves out, leaving Malchior in his true form.

Raven suddenly felt helpless along with all the other emotions. She immediately tried to reach deep down into her soul self in preparation for fighting Malchior.

"That shall not help you, my dear," Malchior said, a slight tone of satisfaction in his voice. "Not only are you seeing the part of your mind I am allowing you to, you are also performing as I choose to allow. There are no powers to attack me with, no magic spells. But fear not. I have no wish to fight you."

"Then what do you want with me? How did you get out of that book?"

This time, Malchior laughed. The dragon's head reared and looked skyward as it bellowed out loud. Then, it turned to look back to Raven. "Can you not see? I am not really here. In fact, I have yet to leave that book since last we met."

"Then what are you?"

"I am a conjuring within your mind, of course. A little creation of my own in case you ever decided to delve back into those wondrous incantations I taught you."

Raven's eyes went wide. "This is a trap. Everything you ever taught me was a trap."

"Everything I taught you," Malchior sneered, "was a means to an end. It was either to grant my own freedom or to win over your trust and desire so that you might help me. Remember the last thing I ever said to you? I taught you everything you know. Not everything I helped your brain absorb was magic or knowledge. This little trap was purely extra."

"And for what?" Raven asked, bitterly. "Why do this?"

Malchior chuckled again. His neck extended out, placing his snout inches from Raven's face. "I despise losing," he hissed through his sharp beak. Malchior's dragon head pulled away as he continued. "In the ever so slight possibility my plans were foiled I doubted you'd willingly continue to use the knowledge I had granted you, but I also doubted that would be for long. All it would take was a single threat so great…you would feel you had no choice. And then, I would have you.

"My original plan was to render you powerless and let whatever monstrosity you were attempting to stop destroy you forever. Oh, but this, my dear…" Malchior's chuckle became a laugh, and Raven's hand unconsciously grabbed at her chest. "I knew that darkness within your heart had come from your father. I never knew you were destined to face against him. Nor was I aware that…he could hold power over you."

Raven's head unconsciously shook from side to side. "No…"

"Oh yes, my dear little Raven. Consider this my parting gift. Oh, now…don't be so upset. If it is of any consolation, there was really nothing I ever taught you that could have defeated him. Your father is far too powerful, even for me."

Malchior's form began to swirl into a black mist, though the dragon's head remained intact the longest. "Although, there was the one spell you had been considering. What a shame you never attempted it, though I am quite positive you never would have wielded the strength to cast it. Even if there were a hundred of you."

The rest of the mist swirled away, and the white space slowly began to darken into a deep black. Raven's breathing became rapid as she realized what was about to happen.

"Farewell, daughter of Trigon," Malchior said, his final words followed by a sinister laugh. Then, it too faded into the darkness.

-

* * *

- 

Cyborg flew far out of the way as Raven set off her last spell against Trigon. The beams had seemed to grapple him down, and the symbol in the air was starting to glow a nasty glow. Any second now, Cyborg was sure it would strike at Trigon, and it was a simple matter of waiting to see how powerful it would be.

Then, the symbol fired a beam of light the same length and width as itself…but it fired away from Trigon. The beam struck Raven full on, and Cyborg wasn't too sure that was supposed to happen. Raven spun out of control, threatening to plummet back to the earth below. Cyborg was well out of range to catch her, but Bumblebee was close enough. She swooped in and caught the young girl before she could splatter on the ground. Cyborg flew in closer, momentarily oblivious to the creature behind him.

"Hey, girl, wake up," Bumblebee was shouting at the unconscious Raven. Cyborg couldn't help but be worried, but he was grateful when he could see her eyes begin to glow again as they opened.

"That was a close one, Rae," Cyborg shouted from the distance. "Maybe we should try that little number ag-"

Then, there was an explosion. The blast came directly from Raven, her body surrounded in light. Bumblebee was blasted at a tremendous speed away from Raven. Her body flailed out of control, and she showed no signs of recovery. The thought to fly after her had barely processed within the neural network that made up his brain when the same blast wave slammed into him. He put up his robotic arms to shield his face from the blast, but it still turned him end over end.

When he recovered, he looked back to Raven. She was floating in the air, her arms and legs extended. Bumblebee was nowhere to be seen, and Cyborg could only hope she'd been able to land somewhere safe. Raven continued to float in place, and it was then that Cyborg noticed her eyes.

There were four of them, and they glowed in a deep red.

**MY DAUGHTER. WHAT AN INTERESTING TURN OF EVENTS. THIS PLEASES ME GREATLY.**

The horrible rumbling came from behind Cyborg, and he turned to look at Trigon. The monster had his arms folded over his chest, the last series of attacks showing no real effect.

**I SHALL CONCEDE THE BATTLE FOR THE MOMENT, AS I HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO RETIRE TO GAIN MY STRENGTH. YOUR ATTEMPTS TO THWART ME, WHILE VALIANT, ARE AS I HAVE SAID ALL ALONG. NOW, YOU SHALL BE FORCED INTO CONTEST WITH ONE YOU HAVE COME TO CALL AN ALLY.**

"Oh, no," Cyborg whispered. "He ain't gonna make us…"

**BUT, UNDERSTAND THIS. SHE IS MY DAUGHTER, FIRST AND FOREMOST. RAVEN…MY KIN…I SENSE YOU CURRENTLY HOLD THE POWER TO DESTROY THESE PITIFUL CREATURES. DO AS YOU WISH.**

In complete horror, Cyborg turned back to Raven. She was still hovering in place, her hands covered in black energy. Even in the distance, Cyborg could swear Raven was smiling.

It was probably the most sinister smile he had ever seen.


	20. The World as we Know it, Part III

**XX**

**The World as we Know it, Part III**

The sounds were almost inaudible at the very beginning. Even so, Zerrich could swear it was a voice—voices perhaps? It wasn't loud enough to make out any words. It was only a murmur, but it was beginning to get louder. Zerrich thought on different possibilities as to what was happening, ranging from forceful takeover of his mind and body to insanity. The more he listened, however, the more he felt a presence that went along with the voices. How was he sensing this? Did he have some buried psychic ability after all?

No, that didn't make sense. He wasn't initiating this contact. Anyone with telepathic ability could tap his mind if they so wanted.

"I can't understand!" Zerrich shouted. There was only darkness surrounding him. He didn't feel his own physical presence at all. Was this some kind of trance? Or was this another vision?

He spoke to the murmuring darkness again. "I can't understand you! What are you saying to me?"

The voices increased slightly in volume. Suddenly, words started to surface. They were clear but jumbled at the same time. At no point did any of it form any kind of sentence structure. Zerrich became further confused, and even a little frustrated.

"You're not making any sense! 'Stop?' Stop what? 'Realm?' 'Alone?' 'Help?' 'Sacrifice?' I don't…"

There was a sudden wave of murmurs, but as intense as it was Zerrich couldn't understand what he was being told. Save one word.

"What? 'Surrender?' Surrender to Trigon?"

"_No…_"

It was the first clear word to come out of the mess in his mind. Zerrich knew it was a direct answer to his question and not part of the jumble.

"_Surrender…to me._"

The darkness suddenly became bathed in red as four giant and brilliantly lit eyes flashed open. Now, Zerrich had the presence of body within whatever strange hallucination or trance he was currently experiencing. The four eyes began to shrink until they were in front of him at just above his height. The red eyes created a back shadow, and a silhouetted shape was suddenly visible. Its darkness faded away, and Zerrich took in a sharp breath as the shadow revealed itself to be Raven. Her expression showed a new hatred he'd never seen from her. In addition, she smiled horrifically at him.

"_You will all surrender to me!_" Raven said. Her voice had been warped to a nearly unrecognizable deep tone.

"No…" Zerrich could barely speak. He reached towards Raven, trying to comprehend what was happening…what it meant. A blue symbol flashed against his fingertips, blue lines of light running jaggedly around Raven's body. Zerrich yanked his hand away in partial pain, staring at the symbol as it faded away.

"The ward?" Zerrich whispered, puzzled. Then he looked back to Raven as she began to grow in size.

"_You will surrender…or you will DIE._"

Zerrich's mind suddenly filled with a red energy until he could see nothing more.

-

* * *

- 

"Zerrich!"

It was Robin's voice; Zerrich realized it right away. He opened his eyes to see the red glow of the dome barrier above him. The sun was setting across the ocean by that time, and the color of the barrier was dying out as a result. Robin was leaning over his side, shaking him wildly.

"Zerrich, I don't understand what you're saying! You have to get up!"

"I'm awake," Zerrich said, groggy. He was suddenly aware of the soreness in his arm. It was definitely better than a few moments ago. "What's happening?"

"You were speaking some gibberish. I'm guessing it was in Azarath. You just zoned out a few moments ago without any warning. Look, we can't stay here. Things just got a whole lot worse."

Zerrich shook his head as he squinted. He realized they had already made it to their destination further away from Trigon and the Tower. Then, he looked behind him. "Where's Raven?"

Robin didn't answer, and Zerrich turned back to look at him. "Trigon has control?"

"She attacked Bumblebee and Cyborg. Trigon's using her against us while he gains back his strength."

"That doesn't make sense," Zerrich said. He looked back towards Titans Tower. Sure enough, there was a glowing speck in the reddened sky. "The ward hasn't been broken."

"Ward?" Robin asked. "What Ward?"

Zerrich only partially heard Robin's question. He really had no proof of any kind that the ward had either been removed or still remained. The only thing he could go on was his recent vision. Had Raven been trying to talk with him, only to have her dark half take over? What had that been? Regardless, Zerrich chose to read into it. If Trigon had taken over Raven's body, the ward would have been broken. They knew it would happen anyway given enough time, but this was too soon. Had Raven succumbed to her inner demons? That would have made things different.

"I need to get to Raven," Zerrich said.

"Give her enough time, she'll come after us anyway," Robin answered. In the air, a green pterodactyl grasping Speedy in one talon made its way to the other two Titans. Upon landing, Beast Boy morphed into his human form.

"We gotta help Raven," he stated. "She's not normal! We can't leave her like this."

"We might not have a choice but to fight her full-on," Speedy said.

"I need to go back to the tower," Zerrich said. "I can get something that might help get Raven back. Or at least get me started on figuring out what has power over her."

Everyone knew that getting Raven to come back around from whatever had taken her over was meaningless to the effort against Trigon. It would probably make no difference one way or the other. Still, it didn't matter. For the time, it gave the Titans a goal. And, they weren't about to leave a good friend behind.

"I don't want to use up my strength teleporting there and back," Zerrich warned. "I'll need as much as I can muster when the time comes."

"We've got just the two that can help out," Robin answered, pulling out his communicator. "Mas, Menos."

Within half a moment, the twins came to a blurred stop next to Robin, having not even answered their communicators. "Sì, sì!"

Speedy kneeled in front of them, putting a hand on Mas' shoulder. "Tower," he said to both of them as he pointed to his right. "You have to go to the Tower."

"Hold on to them," Robin instructed Zerrich. The man from Azarath nodded back, placing a hand on each of the twins. The two Titans touched hands, and the world blurred around Zerrich as they sped off.

-

* * *

- 

Cyborg maneuvered quickly with his jetpack to avoid a streak of black energy that threatened to slam into him. It wasn't the first attack that had come his way since Raven started her rampage, and Cyborg didn't have a chance to even comprehend what had happened. He was just now coming to grips with the fact that he would have to fight back. His sonic cannon formed from his arm, and Cyborg rolled onto his back in the air. He aimed directly for Raven and fired.

The blast was met with a black circular barrier, waves flowing at its edges. It did the trick, and Cyborg's attack never even got close to stopping Raven. Cyborg concentrated on luring Raven towards the rest of the team so they could all lend a hand in stopping her.

"Come on, Rae, keep followin' me," he muttered as he flew through the air. Two streaks of black raced past him as he dodged and weaved to avoid being struck. An entire wall of black energy came at him from his left, and he had no choice but to change direction completely. Raven stayed with him, picking up nearby cars and lampposts in an attempt to strike Cyborg out of the air. The robotic hybrid flew around to the best of his ability as he avoided most of the larger obstacles. Raven was doing a good job of keeping Cyborg from turning back towards his team. He looked over his shoulder.

"Come on, Rae! Stop followin' me!"

When his eyesight came forward again, he became aware of the large bus floating towards him.

"…ohshit—"

Cyborg plowed right into the side of the vehicle. He punched through the other side a half-moment later, spinning completely out of control. The impact with the ground caused something to spark, though Cyborg couldn't tell what right away. His cybernetic optic cut out for a moment from the impact, static blurring with his other eye's normal vision. Cyborg rolled to a stop on the ground, rather glad that most of his body was made of metal alloys. Unsteadily rising to his feet, the Titan looked over at Raven.

She hovered in place about a block away, one leg slightly bent at the knee. Her arms were lowered but out from her sides, the palms of her hands facing down. That same evil grin was still on her face, as were the two sets of glowing red eyes.

"C'mon, Raven, can't we talk this out? I don't wanna fight you."

"I'm not giving you any choice," Raven answered. "I'm not a fool. You'll never give in to my father. You'll all have to be killed."

"You don't want to do that," Cyborg said slowly.

"I've always wanted to do this," she mimicked. "Deep down."

Cyborg watched as her grin turned to a nasty open-mouthed smile. He let his hand form once again into a sonic cannon, ready to fight back. Before anything could happen, a series of golden blasts sang past Cyborg and slammed into Raven's side. She grunted from the impact but was quick to erect a black wall to absorb the hits. Cyborg turned to see Bumblebee to his left, firing with one of her stingers. She looked to be slightly drawing up her right arm at her side, and Cyborg could only assume she hadn't recovered from her fall the way she would have wanted.

The robotic Titan added his own firepower to the assault, but Raven's shield held them both off. While the barrier deflected their attacks an object surrounded in black passed by Cyborg's peripheral vision. He turned to see a car in black energy being flung towards Bumblebee.

"BEE!" he shouted, stopping his attack and turning in her direction. There was nothing he could do; the car was already at her side, and Cyborg could tell she hadn't seen it. He couldn't even aim for it before it slammed into her body. All the ambient noise of the battle went silent for a moment, and Cyborg could hear the dull thump of the impact. The car finally crashed to the ground, rolling another ten feet before settling. Bumblebee was nowhere to be seen.

Cyborg started running towards the wreck. He fired in Raven's direction for cover, each of his shots deflected by her defenses. Raven wasted little time fighting back as a blast of black energy tore up the ground under Cyborg's feet. He fell forward from an uneasy balance and his own momentum, struggling to get back up. A whip-like tendril of black magic coiled around Cyborg's right ankle, yanking him back and hauling him across the concrete. He pounded a fist into the road, anchoring himself against the energy limb.

There was a bright green flash, and the pulling at Cyborg's leg stopped. He flipped onto his back to see Starfire hovering in the air. Raven seemed to be recovering from some impact, and she turned rapidly in Starfire's direction. The Tamaranian had her one good arm tucked up at her chest as the other dangled at her side in caked blood. Her eyes were glowing a brilliant green.

"For someone who's always so loud, you sure know how to sneak up on people," Raven commented with a slight smirk.

"Raven," Starfire began, sternly, "I understand you are no longer in control. You will always be my friend. But, I will fight you regardless."

Raven put her arms out to her sides, and a moment later sections of black road pulled out of the ground. Starfire was quick to blast the pieces before they could hit her, and she was even quick enough to sneak a shot off from her hand against Raven. The girl formed a small black circular disk in front of her, blocking the attack. Cyborg got back on his feet as he tried to aim for Raven. The two girls began flying about at high speed in the air, the nearby buildings taking the brunt of each girl's attack against the other. Raven made a quick dash for Starfire creating a wall of black and shoving it towards the Tamaranian. Starfire couldn't fly out of the way in time, and the black wall of energy slammed into her.

Then, both Titan and energy smashed into a nearby building. Debris flew out of the edges of the black field, and then the wall dissolved. Starfire floated slowly to the ground, stunned from the impact. Cyborg knew her prior injuries were making it worse for her. He charged his sonic cannon again, but before he got get a shot off, Raven sent a tendril of black energy right for his head. Cyborg shrieked a little too high in pitch as he ducked and rolled out of the way. He took three huge steps once he got to his feet before leaping for a nearby alley for cover.

As Starfire held her ground, Cyborg watched as Raven instinctively put up another barrier behind her—her back to the far end of the road. When the black energy disappeared, a new figure could be seen floating further down the street. Zerrich fired another blast of blue energy, and Raven simply floated out of its way. There were now three of them. Raven couldn't hold off all three of them, could she?

Then, a moan caught Cyborg's attention. As Cyborg looked down the alley, a hand reached into the air at something that wasn't there. Cyborg ran between the buildings to the form on the ground. It was Bumblebee, and she looked terrible. In fact, she barely looked alive.

"Bee!" Cyborg gasped. He looked back to the battle behind him, then to the crippled Bumblebee. "We gotta get you out of here."

Cyborg gently picked up Bumblebee's battered form and quickly escaped down the opposite end of the alley.

-

* * *

- 

Zerrich was quite aware of what he had to do. He knew it was possible if he could just get close enough. Unfortunately, close enough meant physically grabbing hold of Raven. Then he would need enough time. There was not going to be any permission given—next to Trigon, Zerrich was going to be in for the fight of his life.

"Hmph," Raven sneered, a slight smirk pulling at one corner of her mouth. "I always wanted to get this chance. To come back around and actually beat you."

"You'll have to fight like hell for it," Zerrich answered back. Starfire hovered just off his side, her eyes still glowing. "We'll do everything to stop you."

"I was really counting on going one-on-one. I suppose I can even the odds soon enough."

"Not so long as I can breathe," Starfire countered.

"If you say so," Raven said, casually. She barely lifted a finger, and a small palm-sized orb of black shot forward at an almost invisible speed. Except Zerrich had seen it coming before it was even fired. His right arm crossed in front of where Starfire's throat was, a blue field flashing to life and deflecting the black energy away.

"Come on, now," Zerrich warned, his voice icy. "Play nice."

"I never played nice," Raven retorted, rising a little higher into the air. "And I'm definitely not about to start!"

Black tendrils flared to life, lancing at the two opponents. Starfire and Zerrich flew in opposite directions. The tendrils attacked where they had just been then split left and right to follow them. Zerrich quickly put up a small barrier to bat the tentacles of energy away. Further away, he could see Starfire blasting the black limbs with her eye beams. He looked up at Raven then charged forward. He maneuvered around the black tendrils as they swatted at him, realizing that getting closer to Raven meant getting closer to the limbs' base. They'd have an easier time attacking him up close.

He pulled away from Raven and into the air, aiming his hands down as he fired at the black energy coming from Raven's sides. The blasts tore at the limbs, separating some and causing them to disintegrate in the air. Starfire circled around below Zerrich, charging up energy in her hand. After the energy ball was large enough, Starfire blasted it towards Raven. The tendrils between the two girls were severed on contact, but when the ball of green energy finally slammed into Raven, it barely caused her to grunt.

Zerrich had another idea. He focused his power around Raven, forming two barriers directly in front and behind her. The tendrils shot out from Raven's sides, and Zerrich was able to get directly in front of her. From his pocket, he removed a small golden triangular-shaped trinket and held it in front of the barrier. Then, he let the field drop.

Unfortunately, the instant his blue field was gone, a black one had taken its place. Raven wasn't about to let her guard down, especially when she wasn't able to see. The barrier then pushed outward against Zerrich, slamming him backwards. Zerrich chose to put a hand to the black energy barrier, opening a portal on its surface. He slipped through it, exiting just behind Raven. This time, she wasn't ready for him.

Zerrich slapped the metal object against Raven's back as Starfire attacked the girl with her eyebeams. The ward on Raven's person reacted immediately to the small item. Raven growled in anger, spinning around and slamming Zerrich in the side of the head with her bare arm. The man from Azarath crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop. The trinket, however, stayed on Raven's back. Before she could do anything to remove it, the object dissolved. A quick flash of lines whipped around Raven's body. The ward symbol emerged briefly in front of the dark girl, and then it disappeared.

"First part done," Zerrich muttered to himself. "Just need to do that whole 'getting close' thing again."

Zerrich tried to get to his feet, but he quickly found his strength was being used up far too quickly.

"I've had enough," Raven declared. She looked to Starfire, putting up another black field to hold off the girl's eyebeam attacks. Then, Raven's four red eyes lit up brightly.

"Here, let me try that!" As soon as she finished the sentence, Raven fired four eyebeams of her own at Starfire. The attack traveled through the air at a much faster rate than Starfire's, and the Tamaranian took all four hits directly. If she grunted from the impact, Zerrich couldn't hear. The girl plowed into a nearby building, a small explosion blasting out of the impact crater a moment after.

Zerrich finally stood up, facing towards Raven's back. "You wanted one-on-one," he said, trying to redirect her attention. "Here we are, then."

"I don't think it'll be as much fun this way," Raven sneered. "You'll barely be able to put up the kind of fight I want."

"Why don't we find out then?"

"I won't be so fair, this time," Raven turned around, looking Zerrich over. "As you can see, I'm not holding back!"

With the last word, Raven fired two bright blue orbs of energy straight at Zerrich. Before they could hit him, they veered to his left and right. Zerrich's instinct was to run forward, and doing so saved him at least some pain if not his life. The orbs flashed brightly, firing bolts of electricity against each other in a furious blaze. A few bolts of lightning lanced out at Zerrich from both sides, sending enough electricity into him to shock his system. The man from Azarath fell to the ground, his musceles slightly jittery from the jolt.

"I think this is going to be harder," he muttered into the ground. Before the next attack, a series of explosions fired all around. Zerrich heard the blasts more than saw their flashes and soon realized why. Smoke began pouring into the streets from all around. A pair of hands grabbed at Zerrich's shoulders, hoisting him onto his feet. On instinct, the man began to run where the help was leading him. They pierced the smoke enough to see an alleyway, and Zerrich made his way in. Robin helped tug the man a little further down the corridor, placing him lightly against the wall.

"Are you doing better?" Robin asked.

"I was for a moment," Zerrich said, "then I used just about everything up again."

"Did you do what you needed to?"

Zerrich nodded. "Partially, at least. I still have something else to do. I have to get in close again."

"What are you planning?"

"To get into Raven's head."

Robin blinked. "I thought you weren't psychic."

"I'm not. But I know one particular trick. Look, the short story to what's happening…"

Zerrich could hear it coming. He stopped talking and grabbed Robin's shoulder, practically yanking him down a turn in the alleyway as a stream of energy flew down where they had just been. Raven was trying to flush them out, and they were trapped. At least, they would be if Zerrich didn't act fast. Zerrich placed a hand against the wall Robin was planted against, and a portal flashed open. Zerrich pushed them both through, and Robin and Zerrich appeared a few blocks away.

"At first I thought Trigon had become powerful enough to take over Raven's body, but that would have meant Raven's ward to keep Trigon out would be automatically broken. It was still there—I just now tore it down. It's Raven's mind that's reaching out to Trigon, allowing him to take control."

"Raven? She's purposefully letting Trigon control her?"

Zerrich shook his head. "Not on purpose, I don't think. I'm not going to pretend to know what's causing this; I don't. But, I'm hoping I can reach into her mind and bring Raven back to the surface. Maybe supercede whatever is happening."

Robin looked down the alley they were currently in. "Have you tried this before?"

Zerrich took a breath. "Not really…"

Robin gave Zerrich a look. "What do you mean, 'not really?'"

"Well, I mean never, actually. But I'm going to need a few seconds to delve into her head. She's not going to give me those seconds willingly."

"Agreed," Robin looked from Zerrich back down the alleyway. Then, the Boy Wonder looked back to the man from Azarath. He smirked slightly.

"What the hell? Let's give it a try."

-

* * *

- 

The one good thing was that whatever spark Cyborg had heard from crashing into the ground, it hadn't been his jetpack. Unfortunately the battery was low to begin with, so his quick journey to an emergency hospital was cut short. Huffing it on foot but being careful with the fragile Bumblebee, Cyborg made his way to the closest hospital in the area.

The streets at this point were quiet, but Cyborg knew that the closer he got, the busier it was going to get. The people trapped in the city were taking a pummeling along with the city itself, and every hospital within the dome would be packed by now.

"C'mon, Bee," Cyborg encouraged, his hydraulics and gyroscopic joints absorbing the shock of his run. "Almost there, now. You just hold on a little longer and we can get someone to patch you up."

"Treatin' me like one of your little mechanical projects?" Bumblebee asked, quietly. "Screw down some bolts and replace some loose panels…a little oil and I'm back in shape, huh?"

"Save your energy," Cyborg answered. "Don't want you passin' out on me before we get there. And, no, I didn't mean to say…"

"Oh, hush, Sparky," Bumblebee soothed. "I know you didn't. But you gotta get back in the fight. People are countin' on the Teen Titans. Besides, I never cared…cared for the idea of cuttin' in line."

"Now, what kinda sense are you tryin' to make? And didn't I tell you to save your energy?"

"People are hurt…all over the city. Hospitals around town…doin' their best to help people. They're fightin' their fight just like we are. I became a superhero…to help people. If some doctor saves my life in place of someone who had a chance…just because of who I am? I can't be selfish like that."

"I can't just let you die," Cyborg said, sternly.

"Who ever said…you could stop it?"

"Don't start talkin' about quittin' like that! Not on me or this city!"

"Sparky…"

"No, I don't care! I'm not about to give up on you."

"…hurts…"

At that, Cyborg did finally stop his run. He looked to Bumblebee, her face in a weak grimace. He was quite adept at physics. He had calculated the impact of the car against Bumblebee. He had considered the fact that she had shrunk herself down just after the impact, flying across the alleyway. The light weight of her body in small form prevented the damage from going further—but enough had already been done.

"What? Is it something else?"

"Armor. It's…from your upper arm. Digging into my back somethin' fierce."

Cyborg tried to adjust his cradled hold on Bumblebee to get the armor out of the way, but she shrieked quietly as a new kind of pain attacked her body. Cyborg reluctantly kneeled to the ground, trying desperately to get Bumblebee more comfortable. He couldn't give her much time to recover—Cyborg would have to get back on his feet as soon as he could if she had a chance.

"Sparky?" She practically whispered. "I haven't…been feelin' my legs since…I got hit. Can't make 'em move either, and I t-tr…I tried before you found me."

Cyborg had calculated that possibility as well. He hadn't tried testing her reactions at all, concentrating solely on getting her some help.

"I'm suddenly wishing I was a doctor instead of a computer'n'mechanical wiz."

"I know," Bumblebee smiled back. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

"We have to go."

Bumblebee's hand reached for Cyborg, resting on his lower chest. "There's no where left to go. Except back."

As if on cue, a muffled explosion fired way in the distance. Cyborg instinctively looked towards the lower part of the city. The sun had set, causing everything to get darker. As a result, the flashes in the distance were slightly more prominent. The battle continued, and in the middle of that fight another of Cyborg's friends was at risk.

He looked back to Bumblebee, ready to slowly hoist her back up and continue his journey. She looked up to the sky, her eyes focused on something far above. Before Cyborg looked up, he noticed her hand on his chest. It was still there, but it had gone limp. He adjusted her slightly, and the hand fell back to Bumblebee's body. For a moment he didn't do anything.

"No, Bee…" he sighed, quietly. His right hand reached for Bumblebee's face, lightly closing the lids of her eyes forever. His heart, mostly a cybernetic work of ingenuity, pulsed in a pain he hadn't felt in a very long time.

-

* * *

- 

Zerrich's back slammed into the building behind him. He only fell the two feet he'd been lifted off the ground by Raven's attack, but the slight daze the impact had put him in was enough to cause him to stumble.

"I'm not just interested in beating you this time," Raven said, matter-of-factly. "I'm going to kill you."

A black orb that flashed with a deep nastiness bowled its way towards Zerrich from Raven's position. He was quick to react even in his daze, and one hand came straight out. Instead of his usual barrier, a transparent series of polygons formed a rounded defense, neatly catching the fury of black energy. The new barrier completely folded around the black orb, and then it flew back at Raven. She sidestepped to avoid it, but Zerrich gestured his hand in her direction. The counter attack veered over and slammed into Raven anyway. The polygon barrier exploded first, followed by the black energy orb. Raven grunted loudly as she flew backwards. Zerrich bolted forward, his hand glowing in a blue hue.

Raven recovered quickly, however, sending a blast of lightning towards Zerrich. The blue energy around his hand flashed instead into his normal defense, holding off the bolts as they struck at him. He then concentrated on various points around the fight zone. Buildings were suddenly covered in a very dark shadow, far too dark than the new evening should have allowed. Zerrich's shadows maintained themselves as he slipped through a portal under his feet.

He appeared through one of the shadows masking the blue hue of his doorways, and sure enough Raven was attempting to find out which of the deep shadows he would pierce from. Zerrich flew straight for Raven's back, but the girl was again just sharp enough to turn and defend herself in time. The dark girl's defensive barrier was met with Zerrich's own. Both barriers collapsed, forming instead into protective covers for their limbs as they began to fight hand-to-hand. Raven's attacks were faster, and Zerrich still found himself on the defensive even after getting so close.

"Robin's lessons just went right past you, didn't they?" Raven said effortlessly as she attacked with magic-encased hands. Her leg came up and slammed into Zerrich's left ear. He rolled away from the fight; the now dazed feeling prevented him from fully preparing for Raven's next attack. He got a protective barrier started in time to catch a massive stream of energy before it hit him directly, but he still flew back at a tremendous speed. Unlike the last similar attack, there was no building for Zerrich to smash into. He simply slid and rolled across the concrete until stopping in a slump.

"Harder," Zerrich huffed, trying desperately to get his strength back. "Much…harder…"

-

* * *

- 

Robin jumped out of the alleyway as Zerrich flew backwards and across the ground. His staff was out, and he was already taking a swing at Raven. She turned surprisingly quick, putting up a small field to block the weapon. Another streak of black energy threatened to cut Robin in half, but he took the one back-step that put him out of range of the strike. His staff, however, took it at the very center and broke in two. Robin was quick to improvise, using the two pieces to attack Raven in furious combos.

"Why don't you try your hand-to-hand training with me!" he shouted as he attacked his teammate. Even with her magic, Raven's parries were nowhere near enough to hold Robin back. The Boy Wonder made plenty of hits, causing the demon girl to grunt with each impact. She was occupied now, but Zerrich was far too weak to make his move and take advantage of it. Robin wasn't stupid. He wasn't so arrogant as to think he was going to knock her out, and he knew Raven wouldn't let him get this close again.

"There's no point," Raven finally said, firing off a shot of black energy into Robin's chest. It was his turn to grunt as he flew backwards, flipping in the air and landing roughly on his feet.

"I don't have to beat you with my bare hands," Raven said, menacingly. "I'll do it any way I want."

Robin was quick to pull out three explosive discs and hurl them at Raven. She was even faster getting a protective barrier up as they exploded just ahead of her. Robin's next weapon was his birdarang, and he threw it directly for Raven's chest. The dark girl made no attempt at a barrier this time. Instead, her four eyes glowed a bright red, and her hand flashed in front of her as the birdarang was about to strike. The grab was so fast Robin hadn't even seen how she had done it. Her hand was just in front of her chest, the birdarang safely in her grasp before one of the blades could sink into her.

She held that pose for a moment as the glow of her eyes died down slightly. She smiled evilly. "Excellent throw. You lined up perfectly with my heart. It might have actually done me harm if I still had one."

"You're a regular comedian all of a sudden," Robin said dryly, reaching for his utility belt again. "Don't tell Beast Boy. It might kill him to know he's got competition."

"I figured it'd be better if I just killed him myself," Raven stated, "Right after I imbed this little toy into your skull."

"You know what?" Robin started, pulling a small device from his belt. "Keep it."

On the very top of the device in Robin's hand was a button. At his last words, he pressed it. Raven suddenly convulsed, every muscle in her body tightening uncontrollably. The high voltage coming from the internal mechanism within the birdarang prevented Raven from doing anything, the amount of electricity far surpassing any kind of tazer weapon on the market. In fact, it would most likely have killed anyone else.

Raven however, was still very much alive, if not in terrible pain. Unfortunately, the effects wouldn't last long. Robin could already hear the electrical buzzing from the birdarang draining away. Raven's other arm slowly began to move, becoming stronger against the electricity attacking her. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Robin could see Zerrich running towards Raven. Ignoring the effects of the electrical device, Zerrich lunged for the dark girl and placed an open hand against Raven's forehead. In Zerrich's other hand, something green began to glow. The two of them froze in place, locked up by either the effects of the birdarang, or whatever Zerrich had started.

This was what Zerrich had asked for--just a few seconds. Now, Robin watched in the hope that whatever he was going to do, it might actually work.

-

* * *

- 

At first, there was only blackness. At least, there was nothing else visually. There was a sound within the void…an ambiance. It sounded like voices. Specifically, it sounded like the voices Zerrich had heard earlier when he had zoned out. Before he could tune his mind to hear it more clearly, the blackness gave way to a new scenery.

There was one thing Zerrich noted right away. This wasn't how he had pictured the inside of Raven's mind. A blood-lit starscape covered everything. It was endless, bottomless. The landscape itself was severely barren, a cross between a desert wasteland and an asteroid field. Dead trees sprouted up every so often, adding to the feel of lifelessness surrounding the man from Azarath. Zerrich was just happy he had made it in the first place.

It was an old technique, delving into one's own mind this way. There were those from Azarath that did so to help manage their thoughts more effectively, using objects that reflected themselves—either metaphorically or literally—to create a temporary portal deep into their psyche. Raven had long ago told him of her mirror, and he'd always suspected she had a much greater need of this spell than anyone from Azarath.

It was this spell he'd enacted, but not all by itself. In the outside world only a few seconds would pass, but if the second spell he'd cast was successful—speeding up the process of both their minds for just that short timeframe—he would experience what would feel like a handful of minutes before the bond could break.

Those minutes were still very little time. He would need to work immediately.

Obviously, he didn't think finding Raven within her own mind would be easy. That is, until he saw the form across the desert landscape. It was cloaked, a hood covering its face. The different hues of the cloak faded from one to another, similar to some of the multi-toned dresses and attire he had seen from some of the dimensions he'd been.

He sprinted for it, wasting no time. There were no guarantees this was the representation of Raven's trapped persona, and something about it felt far too easy. As he got closer, he could see within the darkness under the hood. It was Raven's face. She was staring slightly towards the ground, aware of nothing going on around her.

Almost too quickly, a huge blot of purple and black streaked in front of Zerrich's position. The giant phantom suddenly stretched out its massive wings as it rolled slightly to its right before climbing into empty space towards a large floating rock. It overshot the large platform, turned in the air and began flapping its wings as it landed on its new perch. The dragon-like creature folded the giant wings around itself again, ducking its head ever so slightly.

This creature had something to do with what had happened to Raven, that much was obvious. But, where had it come from?

Zerrich ventured a few quick steps towards Raven again, gauging the large dragon for a response. The only thing it seemed to do was follow his movement. He went forward with his run, closing the gap between Raven and himself. The voices around him grew louder, more distinct.

"What do you want?" he asked aloud.

"That was my question for you," was the reply, though it felt entirely separate from the ambiance. Zerrich looked to the dragon again. Its head was on him, making no other movements.

"You're Malchior," Zerrich realized out loud, keeping his voice calm.

"No," said the voice. The dragon's mouth did not open with the words. It stayed perfectly still, simply watching him. "The creature represents that which keeps my bond strong."

Zerrich looked around. "What bond?" He was wasting time here. He turned his head towards Raven, again running for where she stood.

Then, something hit him. There was a blurred streak before the impact, and Zerrich flew to his side. He landed in a roll before struggling back to his feet. He looked up to where Raven was, but a new figure stood before him. This one was draped in a red cloak.

"What are you, then?" Zerrich questioned.

"I am Raven," the being spoke. Within the deepness of the voice, Zerrich could suddenly hear Raven. He realized the sound had been there when it had spoken previously.

The head tilted up slightly, revealing four glowing red eyes underneath the cloak's hood. "I am the Rage deep within her soul. I am more a part of her than she would prefer. Until now, I have always been suppressed. But, now I am the dominant in her mind. This vessel belongs solely to me."

Zerrich straightened. "You're wrong. In this state, you're merely your father's little puppet."

"You do not belong here!" Rage exploded, her body was cast in red energy, her arms flying free of her cloak. "I cast you out!"

A nearly invisible force of energy blasted across the distance between Zerrich and Rage, the wavering effect indicating its dimensions. Zerrich bolted to the side and out of its way, clenching his fist in preparation to counterattack. However, he felt no energy gather around his fingers.

"Your strengths do not work here," Rage taunted.

Zerrich cursed to himself. The man from Azarath had only let his mind travel deep within Raven's. His powers would have only worked had he traversed there physically as well, but he couldn't risk the consequences of being trapped. There was nothing else to do but run.

He was in a mad sprint once again for his only target. Again, Zerrich heard the whoosh of energy as Rage let off another spell meant to cast him away. He skid to a halt, letting the energy fly just in front of him then began his sprint again. A third blast sounded, and Zerrich made a desperate leap for the Raven frozen in place. His hand made it to her forehead just as the majority of the blast hit him.

Immediately, it felt as though Zerrich were being pulled backwards. The spell was attempting to banish him from Raven's mind, and only the fact that his hand had made contact with the rest of Raven's persona was preventing him from flying into the darkness. Now, however, he felt the oddest sensation. He felt the slightest presence of his physical body in the real world. The banishment spell was taking effect.

In all honesty, Zerrich wasn't so sure his plan would work; especially with the realization his powers were removed without his body to accompany them. Now, he had the slightest connection to his physical being. Would it be enough?

_Do it!_ He had nothing to lose. He reached with his other hand, reciting the incantation he'd done twice that day, just before they had flown out to the rest of the team. This time, however, there was one last enchantment.

His physical body pulled harder at his spirit, and Zerrich couldn't be sure if it was because of the banishing spell or because his time was running out. He recited the rest of the words, screaming the last syllable as a final wave of energy slammed into him from Rage's fingertips.

His hands detached from Raven, and Zerrich began flying away from the desert wasteland. Immediately, he felt as though something were being stripped away from him. As he was sent hurtling away, he could see it. A blue tinge flashed across Raven's face, symbols forming like a barrier around the representation of the dark girl's remaining persona.

Raven's ward, the one he had disrupted earlier, had been superceded by a source within Raven's mind. It had taken or allowed direct control of Raven's demon side. To be stopped, Zerrich surmised that the barrier would have to be rebuilt within Raven's mind. Specifically, it would have to be placed directly around her psyche, cutting off whatever was intruding. There hadn't been time to redo the entire spell, so Zerrich had done the next best thing. He had transferred his own ward to her mind.

Just as clearly as the ward's successful transfer—and it was something that hadn't been visible before—was a deep red line leading from Raven to Malchior. From Malchior, the red beam shot out into nothingness, presumably beyond Raven's mind and body to Trigon. The beam began to disintegrate, fluctuating and dissolving away as the ward prevented its interaction.

Malchior finally made a noise, the head rising and wings flaring out as it screamed. The sound became distorted as the dragon began to disintegrate as well.

The entire scene became bathed in white, and Zerrich became acutely aware of the electric current zapping his body. Then, white faded to black.

-

* * *

- 

Robin watched as Zerrich made contact with Raven. He watched as they froze in place. He watched as nothing happened. A few seconds passed, almost too quickly for Robin's liking. Nothing was happening. The shock mechanism inside the birdarang continued to die down, and the electricity zapping across both individuals was becoming less effective.

Then, there was a white flash followed by a massive blastwave. Robin hadn't even had time to put his hands in front of his face. The blast smashed into him, sending him flying off his feet. The flash was too disorienting for the Boy Wonder, and he landed roughly against the cement under him. His head knocked pretty hard against a curb at the end of the street, creating a series of flashes within his own head. As the bright light died down around him, so did his vision. Robin could do nothing to prevent blacking out.

-

* * *

-

Raven groaned slightly. Her eyes blinked away the blur in front of her, though the pain throughout her body stayed right where it was. She uneasily put a hand to the ground, waiting for the tremors to settle. She was able to get herself to her knees before she looked around. Robin was passed out on the ground several yards away. She looked to the rest of the narrow street, noting the damage everywhere. Suddenly, her mind clicked back into focus. She exhaled a very ragged breath as she began to remember.

Her mind was able to recall everything. She knew what she'd done. She remembered every detail. She looked around for Starfire and Bumblebee. Neither of them was nearby, and there was no telling how badly she'd hurt them. All the details had come flooding back. She hadn't been able to stop it. Her body did whatever it wanted, the evil inside her completely commandeering her person. She couldn't fight it off, no matter how hard she had tried. That is, until something else had gotten into her mind.

She looked to the ground in front of her, and she saw Zerrich. He didn't move. She gasped slightly, crawled to where he lay and turned him onto his back. Had she done this? He'd jumped at her; that she could barely recall through the haze of the electric attack. It couldn't have been her. He must have absorbed quite a bit of electricity.

Either way, he was not responding at all. He was, in fact, barely breathing. His skin, upon closer inspection, showed signs of electrical burns, a slight smolder rising from his body. The durability of Raven's demon side mostly protected her from the greater damage of the birdarang. Zerrich had not been so lucky.

A realization struck her almost as hard as the electric birdarang. The ward that Zerrich had helped her with was gone. However, she had gotten used to its presence, and she could still feel it within her being. She sensed the warding instead surrounding just her mind. She looked down to Zerrich again. Is that what he had done?

It made sense. He'd gotten into her head and recreated the barrier further in her mind to cut off Malchior's control spell. How Zerrich had come to even guess at that solution astounded the dark girl. Now, however, there was just the protection of her mind. Trigon had already taken control of her body once, and Raven could do nothing to stop it. He could do so again once he realized what had just taken place.

Then, Raven's mind took on one final moment of clarity. As Trigon had been able to see and control her mind, Raven had been able to at least see her father's own thoughts. Beyond those thoughts, however, Raven could also sense her father's potential as well as his current capabilities. It was all far too overwhelming, but there was one thing now worth noting. And it involved her.

The ability to leave. Trigon had the ability to leave this world, this realm, and go anywhere he pleased now that he was free. His only need to stay was to regain his strength before doing so. But, Raven shared in that ability. Since she was the object responsible for its creation, Raven could traverse the barrier as well. More so, the barrier would not remain stable for long without her presence. Being allowed to tap into Trigon's knowledge had at least one advantage; she never would have figured any of this out on her own.

She was the only one capable of doing so, but she wasn't going to be able to leave using her conventional abilities. There was no time to setup the materials needed to create the dimensional door here and now; Trigon would stop and take control of her long before then.

She had one chance. One spell that Malchior had taught her. With the warding in place, she would probably be able to do so without worry of losing control again. It had been all of seven seconds since she'd realized Zerrich was in bad shape. She wrapped an arm around him, preparing to take him with her. She couldn't do this alone.

She was about to prepare the spell when she heard a noise. It was a familiar sound, most often a welcome one in tight situations. This time, however, she was sure it was meant as something else. She looked over to where she heard the sound of Cyborg's sonic cannon activating. Sure enough, he stood there with the weapon pointed directly at her.

-

* * *

- 

At first, everything seemed straightforward. Raven was no longer the girl Cyborg knew. Raven had become the demon that she had always been trying to suppress. Their original intent was to try and bring her back, but Cyborg doubted that chance very much. It was now a matter of stopping her. Very little thinking was needed beyond that reasoning. Too many people had already been hurt.

Cyborg had run down the streets leading to the alleyways he'd used to get away. He had run a quick scan of the area to make sure he hadn't gotten lost. His mind was clouded with all sorts of dark emotions during those moments, but there was still that one thought which was driving him. He had to stop Raven, and it no longer mattered how. He had made it to the end of that one alley that exited out into the street Raven had followed him to.

There were signs of battle everywhere. The toppled car was still on its side, the sight of which infuriated Cyborg all the more. Windows were shattered all over, and there was glass just about everywhere. There were various craters in the ground and on the sides of buildings. Robin was motionless against the curb on the other side of the street. Zerrich's lifeless form was sprawled across the concrete with Raven crouched at his side. The details as to what she was doing were neither understandable nor important to the Titan, and Cyborg had powered up his sonic cannon. All he had to do now was take aim and fire the weapon.

Then, Raven looked up. Her eyes were the size of saucers as she looked to Cyborg. It took a moment for Cyborg to think through his haze and realize a very important fact. There were only two eyes now. The demon glow was gone from them, replaced instead with this look of terror. And, on Raven—considering how little of her emotions she showed—terror was easily recognized all over her face.

Cyborg didn't move. His face stayed as it was, his aim still directed at Raven. It could always be a trick, and he'd only have one chance.

"I have to leave," Raven finally said. Her voice was no longer marked with the deep evil that had been there before. "I can't stay any longer, or he'll take control again. I won't be able to prevent it."

Raven's hand rested against Zerrich's chest. Her other hand wrapped around his back, lifting him slightly off the ground. She was preparing something, and Cyborg had to decide whether it was a lure to make him drop his guard or not. He held his aim.

"Stop him. Stop my father. Delay him as long as you can. If he gains enough power, he'll chase after me. You have to slow him down."

Cyborg watched as whips of black energy flew around the girl, and it almost made his trigger mechanism twitch. He checked his fire, if only for another moment to see what was about to happen. The black energy turned white, and a section of the concrete below Raven and Zerrich turned to pure energy. Their forms began to glow with it before sinking into the light, and with a booming flash, the light was gone.

As were the two Titans.

A good, silent five seconds passed before Cyborg finally powered down his sonic cannon, the only sound to follow being a groaning Robin from across the street.

"Raven," Cyborg whispered. "Please tell me you know what you're doing."


	21. The World as we Know it, Part IV

**XXI**

**The World as we Know it, Part IV**

Robin groaned as Cyborg picked him up to his feet. His head was aching pretty badly, but he was otherwise relatively unscathed. He looked up in time to see a green form carrying something underneath it. Before he could identify Beast Boy and Speedy for sure, a streak of white and red came to a halt in front of the Boy Wonder. Mas and Menos saluted the Titan as Starfire hovered herself out of a crater higher up. The team assembled there at the sidewalk, most of them with questions about what had occured.

Robin was among them. "Cyborg, what happened?"

"Raven's gone. She took Zerrich with her. I think…I think she's got control again."

"Where did she go?" Robin asked.

"Didn't say. She just told me to slow Trigon down. That…he'd chase her eventually."

"You mean…she's trying to get away?" Speedy queried.

"No," Cyborg shook his head. "I think she wants us to stall him. She said to slow him down as long as we could."

"Then, Raven has a plan," Starfire added. "She needs time. We must give it to her."

"Then it's back to business as usual," Beast Boy stated.

"Do we even know what Raven is planning to do?" Speedy asked.

"Didn't say that either," Cyborg answered. "But it's her father. She's got to know something that can stop him."

"Um…'kay, and she didn't want to tell us until now?" Beast Boy added.

"What if she's figured something out?" Robin added. "Maybe she got in her father's head—saw something there that can help." _Hell, she's been inside mine…_

"Hey," Cyborg said, "It's Raven. If there's anything that can stop her father, she'll know what to do."

-

* * *

- 

Raven did not know what to do.

The young Titan girl sat on the ground, her right leg tucked under her. She held Zerrich's head in her lap as she conducted a healing spell as best she could. Her strength was quite normal, but Zerrich simply refused to respond to the treatment. He was still unconscious on the ground, and it had been at least ten minutes.

She half-worried that he had automatically gone into his own healing trance. That meant she wouldn't know exactly when he'd wake up. The thought occurred to her to stop with her attempts, figuring them redundant if he _was_ healing himself. She would need to save her energy. But, what if he _wasn't_ in a trance?

Raven decided to concentrate on Zerrich. She did not dare look up at her surroundings. The destruction had long settled; their fires burned out. The yellow-orange sky was filled with more than just a light haze from it. What was left looked dreadful. Even the dirt under her felt ruined, destroyed. Farther away was the giant land mass dug half into the ground. She used to call it home. It used to be the great City of Azarath.

Now, it was gone. Everything she remembered, grew up with, was destroyed. All she had to do was look upon it once. She did not look up at any of it again. She couldn't trust her emotions. Raven concentrated more on Zerrich.

"Hnnf," came an odd noise from the man below her. His hand rose to his chest, and he groaned again.

"Zerrich?" she whispered.

His eyes opened slowly, looking up at Raven. They locked onto hers for a moment, and she could tell he was gauging her.

"I'm better now," Raven assured him.

"I…just want to be sure."

"How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. I was hearing…voices."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Voices?"

"I've been hearing them all day, since Trigon's arrival. They were much clearer just now, but…"

Zerrich grunted again as he peeled himself out of Raven's lap. His hand went straight to his head, rubbing his temples. It was another few moments before he finally looked at his surroundings.

"It was the only place I could think of," Raven answered before he could say anything. She watched as he took another moment or so, absorbing the sight. For him it was the second time, but that still did little to help prepare him.

"Why…why did we leave?"

Raven sighed. "Even after what you did, my father would have taken control of me again. It wouldn't have been through my mind, but I still wouldn't have been ab—"

"Wait," Zerrich interrupted. "Hold on…exactly _how_ did we leave?"

Raven paused a moment. "When my father had control of me, I could see into his mind. I realized something through his thoughts. He used me to create the barrier. He was able to because I'm his daughter. And because he is my father—because I share his blood—I realized I could pass through the barrier just as he could."

Zerrich looked over at Raven. "And you hadn't figured this out before?"

"I thought that I couldn't. When I transport myself through my dimensional portals, I have to sense where I want to end up…to a degree. I tried sensing past the barrier and couldn't. But, that was because it required a greater magic—something much deeper within me."

Zerrich nodded slowly, digesting Raven's words. "How did you lose control? What happened?"

Raven turned her head away, looking to the ground. "It was a trap. All those spells he taught me. _He_ wanted me to use them. He couldn't beat me in the real world, so he set me up to lose in my own mind. He knew I'd be tempted to use those spells again."

Raven could feel Zerrich looking at her. She wanted to look back, but she couldn't.

"I saw him there," Zerrich said. "I mean, I don't think it was Malchior, exactly. It was some representation of the spell that had you under control. I watched it disintegrate before I was cast out of your head."

Raven did look up at Zerrich now. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me."

They both said nothing further for a few moments. Zerrich was the first to stand up. Raven looked up at him as he offered his hands. She took them, letting him lift her to her feet.

"Do we have a plan?"

Raven shook her head. "I do know that the barrier will collapse on its own."

"How?"

"The barrier spell is cast around the individual that invokes it. Like most spells, it requires the person's presence to maintain itself. Without me, it will fall apart."

"How long will it take?"

"A few hours. But Trigon won't wait for it. He'll be coming here to bring me back."

"He needs the barrier that bad?"

"He's still weak. The chance of Earth's combined strength stopping him is very slim, but my father is not stupid. He won't risk it."

"And when he gets here…"

"He'll take control of me, only this time on his own."

"Come on," Zerrich practically yanked her by the arm as he began running. Raven quickly saw the ruined City of Azarath directly in their path, and her instincts nearly dug her heals into the ground.

"What are we doing? We're going…going to…"

"There must be remnants left somewhere," Zerrich said. "We need to get enough supplies to rebuild that ward."

"Zerrich, what good will that do? We don't even have a plan."

"We'll worry about that later. Let's take the steps we can for now."

With little effort, both of them lifted into the air and flew to the city ruins.

-

* * *

- 

Flying at night over the building tops was usually a joy for Beast Boy, but it was anything but joyous at the moment. The further along they flew, the more beat up the buildings were becoming. It was the first sign of their approach on Trigon. Beast Boy's pterodactyl form kept up with Cyborg as the hybrid Titan flew along on his jetpack. The buildings began to shrink in general size as they neared the docks, Trigon's lumbering form visible further off. He was just standing there in the ocean, his back to the city.

"He's gaining strength," Cyborg said, though it wasn't necessary. "I say we should be a little bit more exact in our approach."

Beast Boy turned his head towards Cyborg, giving him the most puzzled look he could in his current form.

"Just mean that when we say we're gonna kick Trigon's butt, we _really _kick Trigon's butt!"

If Beast Boy could have smiled, he would. Instead, the two Titans increased speed and began descending towards Trigon's midsection. Just as the Titans reached their target, Cyborg pulled away. Beast Boy, however, used his speed to hurtle towards Trigon. Suddenly, he kicked his talons forward and began morphing. His entire body increased dramatically in size as he took on his T-Rex form.

The beast's large legs kicked out in front as he landed against Trigon's backside. His claws sank into the armor as deep as they could, forcing the material to indent where Beast Boy had landed. There was a massive rumble just from the impact, but nothing more. Beast Boy considered sinking his giant teeth into his target, but it took a tenth of a second to decide it was far too disgusting to bother.

The changling instead morphed into an Apatosaurus, sliding down Trigon's backside as he slammed his massive tail against the enemy surface. Having no foothold meant Beast Boy continued to slide down the armor, and he quickly morphed into a Triceratops. His head pulled under for a moment before he lashed out with his horns. The armor gave just enough for Beast Boy to stop his slide, but he was doing very little damage to his target.

Cyborg was further up the way, and Beast Boy could see out of the corner of his eye as the android launched two rockets from what appeared to be his boots. They slammed into Trigon's armor with tremendous force, the shockwave hitting even Beast Boy further down. He roared as he kicked and thrashed about, pulling his horns loose and nearly starting to freefall.

Instead, Beast Boy concentrated on one final form—something he had been practicing with some success. This time his practice had paid off, and Beast Boy grew to a size larger than even his T-Rex form. Giant horned wings spread outward as a scaly tail snaked around under him. His neck stretched outward as his serpentine head took on its shape. He was proud of his green dragon form, one that he would like to have tried against Malchior given the chance.

His neck coiled back as he took a deep breath. He felt the chemical sacks in his mouth release, and he gave a tremendous exhale. A giant stream of fire blasted outward, striking Trigon point blank. The armor flared up, flames staying where they were as Beast Boy strafed across the armored surface. That plus Cyborg's rockets had caught his attention, and the entire surface rotated away. Beast Boy looked up to see a giant hand making to swat them both out of the sky.

The Dragon quickly disappeared before the swipe could occur. Beast Boy's new humming bird form allowed him to easily pass between two of Trigon's giant fingers. He quickly peeled off from his attack, rejoining Cyborg during his own retreat.

"Um, okay," Beast Boy said after morphing to his human form and jumping onto Cyborg's back. "While that was definitely fun…what's our next strategy?"

"We got his attention now," Cyborg said matter-of-factly. "Let's keep 'im busy."

-

* * *

-

Starfire flew around the Tower to face Trigon directly. He had just turned to deal with the combatants behind him, and Starfire accelerated through the air. Her left arm stayed at her side as she powered up her right fist. She threw the green swirling energy at Trigon's eyes, following it up with a beam attack. The monster flinched from the attack, then turned to look at Starfire. She flew for the ocean below her, pulling up at the last second and flying between Trigon's legs. The monster raised one of its legs to stomp her out, but she was far too fast for him.

There was a blur that suddenly surrounded Trigon's ankles. The red and white streak ran circles around the beast, causing the waters to funnel. Trigon reached a hand down to cut the blur off, but instead it raced up his arm and to his face. The blur struck multiple times at his eyes and nose, and Trigon's face twitched and contorted. He raised his hand to grab at the attackers, but again they sped away unharmed. Starfire watched as Cyborg and Beast Boy in his new dragon form flew back in, striking at Trigon's face with sonic beams and fire.

Starfire took the time to fly up behind Trigon's head. Just as the other Titans were ready to fly by, a white light emanate from the front of Trigon's face. Suddenly, two sets of red beams shot forward without any warning. The thunderous sound even shook at Starfire, but luckily the two Titans had veered away before they could be struck down. The beams eventually died back out.

It was now Starfire's turn. She flew up and over Trigon's head, digging out the two freeze discs Robin had given her. As she flew back down, crossing directly in front of Trigon's glowing eyes, she threw both discs. The chemical reaction occurred as soon as the discs exploded, and large patches of ice plastered across Trigon's face. She flew away as he roared, nearly loosing control of her flight from the sudden outburst. She turned to see him clawing at his face, the ice still expanding to cover most of his nose and brow.

Then the white ice began glowing red, eventually shattering and vaporizing as the eye beams fired out again. At this point, the team could only try and get Trigon to exert as much of his power as possible. The more drained they kept him, the more time Raven would have. The increase in the monster's power would not be stopped, but every second they could slow him down counted for everything.

-

* * *

- 

"There," Zerrich said as he put his hands down. "Your ward is back."

Raven nodded. "Now I have two."

"You can never have too many."

The man slowly stood up, taking a few steps out of the ruined room. He couldn't tell from its charred remains what it had originally been, but it wasn't any different from every other room within the ruins. It was miraculous that any supplies had survived, though it had taken some time to round them up.

"Zerrich?"

He turned around and looked back to Raven.

"Zerrich, if you know the answer…I need you to tell me. What exactly is the Book of the Elders?"

Zerrich looked to the opposing wall. "There was a myth. Something from a long time ago. I don't know how much is true."

"What does the myth say?"

"Something about a book. There were stories about something that Trigon created when he was being imprisoned, or after. I really don't know. It was some kind of tome. Originally, I think people were supposed to believe it was an ancient record of Trigon's history created by the Elders. The Elders denied ever writing such a thing. We came to believe that it was most likely Trigon's doing, meant as some kind of lure to possibly free him from his prison. No one was ever able to prove anything, so it all remained a myth."

Raven nodded. "He must have written the book. It must have been his key to the jail. He knew he could never cast any spells while imprisoned. But if he could entice someone from an outside realm into doing so…"

"Like adding a few scriptures about being controlled by the one responsible for freeing him. That's about what the myth says." Zerrich scratched his head. "But…how did the book end up on your planet?"

Zerrich watched Raven's head drop. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "My mother. She was tricked by a cult. They thought they were raising another Demon, one that is believed in on Earth. They brought Trigon out for a small period of time…as a human." She looked up at Zerrich again. "That was how I was conceived. I'm sure the tome was what they used. It must have been. I…I always thought it was some freak accident when they invoked my father."

She got to her feet as well, and he watched as Raven struggled with what exactly to say next.

"Zerrich, I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough. I tried everything I was taught against him, and it wasn't enough. Every part of me that I ever buried was right on the surface, and it couldn't stop him." She looked away a moment. "I was all wrong. I was trying to best him with his own power, the darkness I inherited. But, I was never going to win that way. My father must be countered. It needs to be a power that opposes him."

Zerrich digested Raven's words. She was right. The thing that could stop Trigon was more than just power. Raven's power did derive from Trigon…from evil. And in that realm, Trigon would have no equal. Zerrich had not fully understood that until this moment.

"There was a spell," Raven volunteered.

Zerrich waited for Raven to finish. "What kind?" he asked when she didn't.

"An entrapment spell. I think. Or a banishment spell. The Malchior incantation goaded me about it, because I'd thought of it but never tried to use it."

"Why not?"

She looked Zerrich in the eye. "Zerrich, it takes an entire population to make it work. It's not a spell that any one person can cast."

Zerrich thought a moment before speaking again. "But…you know how it works?"

Raven shook her head from side to side. "I mean, I think I do. I know the chant. It doesn't matter; we're talking thousands of people. Maybe more. And they _all_ have to be attuned to magic."

Zerrich looked to the ground. "So we can't just go back to Jump City and round up the citi…the…" Zerrich paused a moment. His thoughts coming to what he could only call an epiphany. "Citizens," he finished, if only for the need to complete his previous thought.

"What?"

Zerrich thought it over again. Is that what it had been about? "That makes sense. It makes perfect sense."

"What does?"

"I didn't understand at first. I wasn't getting it at all. But, that was because I kept thinking…"

Zerrich turned to Raven. "We need more supplies."

"For what?"

"That spell. The one that allows us to hone our abilities together."

Raven shook her head. "No. Wait, you know what happened the last time…"

"It's okay," Zerrich soothed as he turned back for the doorway. "I have it figured out. But we don't have a lot of time. We need to get everything together and set it up as soon as possible."

"Zerrich," Raven chased after him, "my spell won't work with the _two_ of us either. What could you hope to accomplish?"

Zerrich placed both his hands on Raven's shoulders. "I think the pieces are fitting together. I mean, everything. There are just too many coincidences, and too much to explain right now. Let's get that spell ready, and then I need you to prepare that incantation you're talking about."

Zerrich walked out of the ruined room, climbing over charred and destroyed slabs of what used to be part of much larger buildings. He climbed to the next destroyed room, peeking in for what contents it may have stored within.

"I don't understand you," Raven shouted from within the room he'd just left.

"It took me this long to understand myself," he returned. He continued his trek across the ruins to the next room. "And, to tell the truth, I'm not even sure I have it all figured out," he muttered after. "_Hope_ I have it figured out…"

-

* * *

- 

"Something's not right," Speedy finally said. They watched as green bolts and streaks of fire lit up the reddened nighttime surrounding Trigon.

Robin had already been dealing with that feeling for the last hour. "I know. He stopped fighting back. We aren't even making him flinch…"

Robin's attention was suddenly drawn to the lightshow appearing from the top of Titan's Tower. The light blue glow began to increase, and flashes of energy erupted all over the roof. There was a dull thrum in the air that slowly increased in pitch. Then, a giant beam of blue energy surrounded by a coil of blue electricity flared from the roof and struck Trigon. The light from the beam was intense, almost too blinding to look at even in the night.

Trigon reacted. The demon finally moved, rotating at the waist. His palm came up, catching the attack in the center of his hand. The light source striking his palm was far brighter than the rest of the attack. Giant orbs of energy flew in all directions, looking like leftover sparks in the distance. To Trigon, they probably looked the same way.

"What is that?" Speedy asked.

"One of Cyborg's weapons." Robin grimaced. _It probably drained one of his batteries just to fire it once._

The beam of light dissolved, and Trigon put his hand back to his side. Again, he looked forward, his back still to the city.

"We aren't doing anything," Speedy growled. "We aren't even drawing the tiniest bit of his strength anymore. He's not letting us."

"Every second we can slow him down will count right now," Robin said. "If only we could draw him inland, we could add to the fray…"

Trigon moved again. It cut Robin short of his sentence, and both Titans watched intently. The monster began to turn around. The ocean water swirled around his hooves as Trigon took his steps beneath the bay. He took a single moment to stop once his turn was complete.

Then, he took a step towards the city.

"No," Robin shook his head, "This isn't good. This is _not_ good."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Speedy said as he rushed out to the edge of the building rooftop they were both on. Robin watched as Trigon came closer to the city, but it would be a minute before he would get near enough to their position. Starfire and Beast Boy's attacks continued, though Trigon continued in his movements as if they were not even there. A bright plume streaked across the sky from Titans Tower as Cyborg joined back into the fight—his battery apparently replaced.

"Time to go long-range," Speedy said, pulling out a small cylindrical piece. It had the appearance of a small firecracker, and Robin watched Speedy attach it to one of his arrows.

"How much increase in distance does it give?" Robin queried.

"Should be enough," Speedy answered, stringing his bow and firing. The device sparked immediately after release, and the arrow flew through the night like a rocket. The small plume cut out faster than Robin had figured, and suddenly the arrow disappeared into the night. Trigon's steps took him past the beach and onto the still-flooded main roads of the city. Before he could begin walking between the larger buildings, a brilliant flash exploded in front of Trigon's face. The light itself was shockingly bright having come out of the darkness without warning, and for what seemed like the millionth time Robin had to shield his eyes.

When Robin looked back to Trigon, he found the walking giant at precisely the same pace. His eyes were glowing in the night, and the demon showed no signs of having even flinched at the flash arrow.

"Uh-oh," Speedy remarked. "That's the first time I've seen him do that since we started."

"He didn't even react!" Robin said, incredulously. Things were worse than they had seemed. These were the few successful attacks they had left, albeit simple. And Trigon was no longer even acknowledging their occurrence.

**THIS PLACE HAS SUITED MY REQUIREMENTS WELL. SADLY, I AM FORCED NOW TO ABANDON IT FOR THE MOMENT. I MUST TAKE MY LEAVE, BUT DO NOT FRET LITTLE ONES. I SHALL RETURN ONCE THE MATTERS AT HAND ARE ATTENDED TO.**

"No…" Robin barely whispered. _He's going after Raven!_

"No!" he shouted the second time. His communicator was in his hand in an instant. "Stop him! Stop Trigon! He's going after Raven! We need to stop him, now! Do everything you can—USE everything you have!"

Robin was frantic. Without even thinking, he grabbed his grappling hook and aimed for a taller building nearby. He swung down to another rooftop, getting closer to Trigon. He was no longer thinking rationally. Perhaps that was the last course of action to take—the irrational. Robin was determined to make it to Trigon. He was determined to slow him down, even if it was for just one second more. He had to. They all had to.

-

* * *

- 

She could feel it—the energy traveling from the pit of her stomach, through her arms and away from her. This time, she felt a kind of counter energy coming back up her limbs and into her body. It became a part of her, and she suddenly felt very extended. She could almost sense Zerrichs' physical presence like she could her own limbs.

The two of them were performing the exact same ritual they had that one particular day. Now, it seemed to be working the way it was intended. They sat farther away from the fallen City of Azarath than when they arrived. All the materials needed were strewn about; the two candles at her side as well as Zerrich's, the fiery rune traced into the sands and powders between the two of them, everything was there as before.

"Can you sense it?" Zerrich interrupted his chanting. Raven was immediately worried that it would ruin the spell, but the effects remained the same.

"Yes," she answered, stopping her chant as Zerrich continued again. "I can feel you…almost as if you were another part of me. It's…strange."

Zerrich seemed to wait until Raven started chanting again with him. "That's not what I mean," he finally said when she continued. "I mean…there's that. But there's more. You can't sense it? Not at all?"

"I don't understand," Raven answered as Zerrich took up chanting again. "What am I supposed to be sensing?"

There was a long pause as the chant went on between them. "There's probably only one way to help you see it. Finish the spell, first. Then I'll explain."

Raven kept the spell going. They were almost done, and then Zerrich could tell her just what in hell he was going on about.

-

* * *

- 

Starfire watched Cyborg fire a sonic blast for Trigon's ear, but the demon did nothing to combat the attack. In fact, he didn't even react to the assault in any way. Things were worsening. They were doing everything they could to slow Trigon down, but his stride made no change. Nothing worked. Nothing was stopping him.

A line of some kind attached itself to Trigon's skin, a line almost too dark for Starfire to see. Immediately, though, she knew whom it belonged to. Robin reeled in his grappling line, pulling the Boy Wonder into the air and onto Trigon's body. Starfire blasted Trigon in the face again with her eyebeams and starbolts. The beast simply closed his eyes and let the attacks fade away.

Robin could be seen placing multiple charges across Trigon's body. Again, the monster did nothing to stop him. Robin released his grappling hook from Trigon, freefalling until he could get it fired off again and onto the next building. Everything Robin left behind exploded, and the effects were disastrous. A combination of explosions and sudden surface freezes erupted across Trigon's skin.

Again, it did nothing to slow Trigon down. The monster finally stopped his walk, reaching out with his hand. A small point of light formed where Trigon was pointing.

"_He's opening a portal!_" Robin said through his communicator. Starfire instinctively listened for what orders Robin would give, but she knew better. There was nothing left to do. Anything that could have distracted Trigon had been done. The demon was going to do as it pleased, and the Teen Titans as they were could do nothing to prevent it.

"It is all up to Raven and Zerrich, now," Starfire said into her communicator. "We can do nothing more here."

No one responded as Starfre put the communicator away. No one had need of it.

-

* * *

- 

Everything stopped.

The air was so still it felt as though Raven and Zerrich were inside a sealed room. They hovered now over the dead ground they had been sitting when the ritual had started, though the chanting had stopped long ago. This time, they would feel no sudden fatigue. Their energy was properly balanced. Their hands were clasped together, and they hovered with closed eyes—in waiting.

That was when everything had stopped. It truly felt as though the universe had taken pause. Even Zerrich's breathing lingered in his lungs. His subconscious counted as seconds went by. With Raven so close by, he could tell her breath had been caught the same as his.

Suddenly, through his eyelids, Zerrich could see a bright flash. There was a second's pause before the crackling sound of a giant dimensional portal flowed through the dead plain. It echoed just slightly from the direction of the fallen city. Zerrich kept his eyes closed, unfolding his legs and touching his feet to the ground. He suspected Raven was doing the same. Zerrich let go with his right hand, holding onto her other hand with his left. They could sense the presence of Trigon in front of them, and a thunderous boom shook the ground under them as the demon placed a large hoof against the plains.

Yet, their eyes remained closed. They did not look to their new guest. Zerrich could picture their energy flowing between them. He concentrated on that flow, concentrated on the balance.

**I HAVE NO USE FOR YOU.**

Zerrich knew Trigon was addressing him. He remained in place, his eyes still closed in concentration.

**AS FOR YOU, MY DAUGHTER…I SENSE A NEW PROTECTION AROUND YOU. I TIRE OF PERSUADING YOU TO MY CAUSE. I AM ONLY IN NEED OF YOUR PRESENCE. ALIVE OR DEAD, IT MATTERS NOT.**

Another tremble in the ground indicated a footstep in their direction. Zerrich could feel the energy gathering in the air. He could feel the charge of power as Trigon prepared to attack them. He knew that detection ability came from Raven, and both mages stood their ground as the high-pitched sound of Trigon's attack took over their senses.

Just as the dull thoom sounded, Zerrich opened his eyes. He held his empty hand out in front of him as the bright white and red energy threatened to incinerate them. With very little effort, Zerrich and Raven created a barrier around them. It's colors swirled with blue and black as the mages' defenses combined. A fraction of a second after the barrier went up, Trigon's eyebeams smashed against it.

Zerrich grunted as he held his part of the barrier up. He still held Raven's other hand as she struggled with her part of the defenses. It was working. Their combined magic was more than just twice as strong. It allowed for them both to tap into their abilities far more efficiently than they could have on their own. The barrier was not just a wall of magic; it countered the assault on the other side. Raven and Zerrich were using the barrier to disperse Trigon's energy, reducing the offensive power. What power could not be dissolved pummeled at their defenses, but they maintained their position.

Trigon, however, was not pleased. Even with the vibrations from the attack on the other side of their shield, both Raven and Zerrich could hear as Trigon's breath rumbled. Zerrich could sense another build-up of energy. Through Raven, he could picture Trigon's hands extending towards them. There was a flash in his mind, and suddenly the barrier was assaulted anew. The quad beams from Trigon's eyes continued to attack the shield around them, but a series of energy beams from Trigon's fingers joined in.

Zerrich winced as he felt the pressure against the shield. Raven did so as well, and Zerrich looked over to her. The defenses weren't going to hold up for long. When she finally looked back, he simply nodded once. It was time to set Trigon up. Would she trust him? She knew what to do, but there hadn't been time enough to fully explain Zerrich's plan. She was following his lead completely on blind faith.

Zerrich let go of Raven's hand, and the barrier began to dissolve in front of them. Before it got finish dissipating, Trigon's attack forced it to disintegrate. Four eye beams and multitudes of energy blasts from Trigon's fingers pummeled the ground behind the broken shield, destroying everything. Ground flew into the air in a magnificent explosion, casting a dirt screen over the area. The dust took forever to settle, as there had been no wind for some time. When it cleared enough to see through, all Trigon could find was a massive crater.

He couldn't see Zerrich where he stood. The Man from Azarath was now a good distance away, standing on Trigon's left. Slowly, the beast turned its head in his direction. Instead of attacking again, he turned to look to his right. Raven had used a similar trick, slipping through her own portal and appearing on Trigon's other side. From far away, Zerrich could see as Raven lifted herself into the air.

Trigon turned his body to face her, ignoring Zerrich. She wasn't ready yet. Zerrich gathered his energy, letting it increase within his hands. Almost the same as the last time, his energy was stable. His attacks always came in pulses because he had never learned to focus his energy enough to create the devastating beams as Raven could. He could always project solid barriers, but they didn't require any destructive power.

Now, that power flowed from him effortlessly. As he was building his attack, the voices returned to his mind. The words were much clearer now, their source unmistakable. It strengthened his resolve. He understood what he needed to do, but timing would be everything. He needed to buy Raven more of that time.

When his power was enough, he aimed his hands at Trigon and let the energy fly. Without the creature even turning around, Trigon's left hand faced Zerrich's direction, palm-up. The beam caught against his hand, and the two stayed as they were for a long moment. The attack did nothing to phase Trigon, and the demon's head finally looked to Zerrich.

With the slightest of smirks, Trigon pushed at the beam with his hand. The forced back-energy traveled quickly down the beam, striking Zerrich before he could discontinue the attack. The blast disoriented him, taking away his sight and hearing for all of a moment. He flew backwards for the longest time, finally hitting and tumbling across the ground.

He would need a moment to gather himself up again. He couldn't take too long; Raven would need him. But, had he bought her enough time?

-

* * *

- 

Raven lifted into the air. Her eyes were already glowing as she placed her arms out to her sides. Her legs were straight as she ascended to a height equal to Trigon's chest. Her fingers stretched outward as she prepared the chant. She concentrated on the pronunciation as Zerrich's attack distracted Trigon for a few moments longer. As she finished the spell, a white glow began emanating from her body. Trigon looked back in her direction after casting Zerrich away, and she grew concerned that whatever Zerrich had been planning would be cut short.

She chose to continue with her part. She stayed in place for a moment, the growing energy around her making her presence seem much greater. As Trigon's entire form turned towards her, Raven clenched her fists. She put all her soul into the spell, unconsciously clenching her teeth. The white energy around them turned black, the effect sliding across the rest of her body. The bright glow was replaced by a brilliant darkness edged in white. Nearly invisible particles began streaming towards her fists like stray dust attracted to a vacuum. The black energy also began to shrink from her body and form around her hands.

With a deep breath, Raven decided it was now or never. She finished inhaling; clenching every muscle in her body tight as she practically threw her fists forward with a scream. The black energy flew from her now-open hands, specks of bright energy flickering all around the black stream. Even the sound of it all streaking across the sky was different. The sheer power of the blast blew the hood from Raven's head and onto her back. Her cloak billowed and snapped behind her, and Raven had to fight just slightly to keep from being pushed back by her own spell.

Trigon brought up his arm the same as he had with Zerrich, catching the blast neatly in his palm. The energy pooled against the surface, quickly growing past the size of the hand. The speckled black energy threatened to curl around Trigon's fingertips, but just as quickly as it had been growing it stopped. Trigon held the attack in place, and Raven could do nothing more to strengthen it.

Through the haze of the spell, Raven noticed Trigon's head turning to look behind him. His body rotated partially away, revealing Zerrich standing once again on the Demon's far side. The man's fists were encased in blue, energy spikes arching sporadically. Even with Trigon's head turned, Raven could sense her father's smirk.

Zerrich gestured both fists to the air, and Trigon prepared to catch the new attack with his other hand. At the same time, a glow could be seen coming from the sides of Trigon's face near his eyes—a counterattack in preparation. The fingers on Trigon's far hand spread wide as Zerrich released his energy.

A blue storm of energy exploded around Zerrich as the giant beam soared through the air towards its target. The blast, however, missed Trigon's hand entirely. Raven suddenly understood where the beam was headed just before it hit, and she realized she couldn't get out of its way in time.

The blast was aimed directly for Raven, and it struck with a tremendous force.

The air around Raven exploded like thunder in all directions. She screamed from the immense force of the blast. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't from pain. She screamed from the sheer overload of power. Energy filled her every being as the beam continued to flow into her, and it was almost overwhelming. She knew Zerrich was giving her his energy, just as he'd taken some of hers away accidentally before the Firnusium showed up. But, the overall power was too much to have come from two beings. In fact, what she was experiencing should have been impossible.

And then she heard the voices.

They were clear as day, speaking over and over. She realized they weren't simply speaking to her. It was a chant. Each voice gave her strength, reciting the incantation she had started. It was incredible; thousands and thousands of voices surrounded her. They were the people of Azarath. She felt them around her, within her, through her power.

The energy surrounding her grew one hundred fold. Black and blue energy swirled together in a tremendous storm forming into three specific tendrils. The ones to her left and right formed into giant wings, and the center tendril formed into the head of a giant raven. The Titan was at the center of the beast with a blue beam of energy flowing into her, and a fusion of power streaming out and striking Trigon.

The energy swimming in the creature's palm quickly surrounded the hand, working its way around his wrist and down his arm. Raven's avatar turned its head down at Trigon, its giant wings beginning to curl inward. Trigon fired his eye beams at the black raven attacking him, but the blast simply disappeared within the black and blue void.

The edges of the avatar crackled with energy as it began to surround Trigon, pulling itself towards him. The magic grip around Trigon's arm began to surround his upper body, traveling down his waist and around his legs as well. Trigon roared, a sound that nearly rivaled the effects of the combined efforts of Raven, Zerrich and all the spirits of Azarath.

He tried one last desperate attempt at destroying the giant thing that attacked him, his eyes firing directly for Raven. It once again did nothing, and the energy overtook him entirely. A white outlining of Trigon's form could be seen within the surrounding energy as Raven drew closer. She let herself be drawn closer; letting the spell do everything it needed to. The avator bent its head down over Trigon as the wings continued to fold around him. The form's body, including Raven herself, closed in on the demon until the avatar was no longer recognizable. A giant sphere of crackling power completely engulfed Trigon. It was immense, easily three times Trigon's size.

Then, the energy sphere—power spitting angrily at its edges—began to shrink. The low thrum and sizzling sounds began to increase in pitch as the sphere closed in on Trigon. There was no way out. What the spell was intended to do was past the point of no return. Now, it simply needed to finish its course.

-

* * *

- 

Zerrich's energy continued to flow into the sphere of energy as it shrunk in front of the man's eyes. Trigon's form could no longer be seen, as the fringes of the sphere were now far too bright. Zerrich wasn't about to let up, his energy continuing to flow out of him. While growing weary, Zerrich was determined. The plan was working, and now they would finish this.

However, just as he could not see Trigon, Zerrich could no longer see Raven either. He didn't have time to worry about her. The sphere of energy continued to shrink until it was smaller than Trigon's height. The angry sounds grew louder and higher in pitch, and through it all Zerrich could hear Trigon roaring. The terrible scream added to the anger of the attack, both growing louder. Zerrich's power finally left him completely, leaving him to stand where he was in a haze and watch.

Then the sphere began shrinking at an even greater pace, growing even brighter as it did. As it imploded quickly in the middle of the sky, Zerrich could hear another scream. It was Raven's, and it began to crescendo beyond Trigon's roar as well as the roar of their combined energy. The energy sphere was glowing bright white, shrinking to the size of a blinding pinprick in the sky. Then, with an anticlimactic flash in the center, the energy sphere disappeared. The sounds echoed through the dead air, Raven's scream at the very end of it. It was very quiet for all of a second.

The very next moment, the center of the sky exploded in a blast of light. A gigantic boom followed a millisecond later, nearly deafening Zerrich where he stood. A moment after that, a blast-wave tore through the valley, knocking Zerrich off his feet. He tumbled harder than he had when Trigon had last attacked him, wind slamming into him and chunks of rock pelting his entire body. He smashed into the ground, rolling along for what seemed like forever before he finally skid to a stop face down. The winds rolled past him for a few moments more before finally dying away.

Zerrich had just enough strength in him to raise his head and look up. The landscape was completely barren. There was nothing there. There was no one left. Everything was eerily quiet. This time, however, the quiet stayed. Zerrich's head rested back against the ground, and with a relaxed exhale the Man from Azarath went unconscious.


	22. Healing

**XXII**

**Healing**

At first, the air was extremely still. Nothing seemed to move, as if relaxing after the tremendous amount of exerted energy had finally dissipated. Everything stayed that way for quite some time, save one thing. Just ten feet above the ground, practically in the middle of nothing, the air seemed to waver slightly. The nearly invisible wavering expanded; encompassing a much greater area as time slowly crept on.

After more time, an intermittent flash of light began to strobe from the very center. At first, the flashes were a handful of seconds apart. Eventually, the flashes increased in both size and frequency. The expanding light source started leaving a slight glow behind every time the flash went out. Then, the light began to maintain itself, flashing sporadically around its edges. The energy grew, and the bright light in the center began to swirl inwards. The noise coming from this new energy grew louder.

The very center of the new vortex stopped glowing, and that too began to expand with the disc of light energy. There were warbled sounds coming from the center now, sounding much like voices. The air seemed to swirl violently from the center, and the sudden appearance of a scarred brick wall from the other side contrasted with the barren wasteland.

Zerrich's eyes had already focused on the anomaly. He was next trying to will his body to move. There was almost no success, save for the sliding of his right arm across the ground.

"…--I …-se-. -he ot-er …de! I d--'t …w how l-ng I can k--… -s thing op-n!"

"H-pe i…-oes to the r..-t place!"

"It can't g- —ywher- else! I'm open-n thi…— …up bas-d on the extr…-eadings I got after Rav-n left! It should lead -s right t— them!"

"I hope you'r- right, Cyb-rg!"

Zerrich recognized their voices, even before they began to clear up. The rest of the team was coming here. How they had managed to open a portal all by themselves…_I'll have to ask them about that_…

"This -s it!" Cyborg shouted. "Go! GO!"

From within the vortex, member after member began landing against the rough and dead terrain. The last one through was Cyborg, and immediately following his arrival the vortex began to collapse. It took a few moments longer before it finally dwindled into nothing. Not one of the Titans paid any more attention to it. Their shock at the wasteland around them was overpowering.

Zerrich again tried to push himself off the ground. He succeeded this time in getting his right elbow lifted up, along with sliding his leg slightly forward. He grunted and looked to the ground as he lifted the side of his body just enough. The sounds of footsteps rushing to his position made him look up again. Robin and Beast Boy were at his sides, quickly taking an arm each and lifting him to his knees. Zerrich felt slightly dizzy from the sudden motion.

"Zerrich!" Robin said first. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Trigon?" Beast Boy asked.

Zerrich took a slow breath. "Trigon," he tested his voice. "It's over. We got him. It's all over…"

Zerrich's eyes closed from exhaustion. He didn't see the teams' reaction. There was a long pause as Zerrich opened his eyes again.

"Where's Raven?" Starfire asked. Her voice had that sound—the sound of fear. The fear of what she knew to be the answer already.

"She…she fought him," Zerrich said. "She surrounded him with…with this magic. It was huge—powerful…you could feel it from so far away. I'd never seen anything like it before. Then it shrank…with both of them inside. There was a flash…then an explosion. The blast knocked me over, sent me…I don't know how far away. I tried looking for her…but there was nothing. Nothing at all. Then, my strength left me."

"Did she teleport away?" Beast Boy asked. "Maybe she got away. Maybe you missed it."

Zerrich shook his head, slowly. "Before the explosion…I heard a scream. I heard her scream."

There was more silence. The entire team simply stood there. Zerrich place his hand on Robin's shoulder, slowly trying to hoist himself onto his feet. Robin pulled him up the rest of the way. Zerrich ignored the blotted vision caused by the sudden blood rush from his head. Slowly, he took a step forward.

"We fought over there," Zerrich pointed. "There should be a set of craters where he nearly hit us."

He could sense the team's hesitation. Zerrich had described a scenario that could only explain demise. Here he was, refusing to believe in it himself. They could read his denial as if he'd written it down on some piece of parchment for all to read.

"Titans, spread out," Robin ordered. "Search the area. Search for any clues…any trace of Raven."

The team separated immediately after. Mas and Menos sped past the group, arriving at the craters Zerrich had indicated far ahead of anyone else. They began their search at a rapid pace, but when the twins realized the dust they were kicking up in the process they slowed down. Starfire flew above the area, searching from the air. The rest of the team fanned out to look for anything they could find.

Zerrich slowly walked to the point that—at his best guess—he had been standing when Raven disappeared. He tried to use a spell to locate everyone in the area, hoping he'd be able to use it to find Raven as well. He was just short of enough strength to get it started—all of his power went into that transference.

"Guys! GUYS!" Speedy shouted from some point just ahead of Zerrich.

The team ran to Speedy's position, Zerrich hobbling along as best as he could. When he got to the group, he had to wait until Beast Boy and Cyborg parted to let him by. They both still looked to what Speedy was holding in his hand. The item looked blackened, all but one spot just off the edge. It was the color of midnight blue.

It was a part of Raven's cloak. The remains of it had been all charred, save that one little corner. The entire team looked around instinctively, but the area was otherwise barren. There was nothing else to be found.

Zerrich's strength gave out in his legs as reality finally struck him. He dropped harshly to his knees, fighting hard to keep his breath steady. There was nothing left to do. Trigon had been defeated, and it had been at a terrible cost. Many lives in Jump City perished without a second thought by the demon. Zerrich realized yet another missing face from the group, and it meant the Titans had lost a total of three of its members. It was hard for Zerrich to find comfort in knowing that Trigon would have destroyed all life on that planet beyond Jump City, as well as countless other worlds had they not stopped him. The damage had been insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

To Zerrich, to the rest of the Titans, it was significant. Significant was not even a strong enough word. Would there ever be a word to describe this kind of pain? Starfire could be heard sobbing quietly, Beast Boy's sniffles hard to ignore. Zerrich closed his eyes. There were no other noises. Not even the wind. Only the sound of their pain…

-

* * *

-

Speedy stood over the wasteland that was Azarath with the piece of cloth in his hand, the team surrounding him. He had lost two good friends, the third a good teammate. They had come here to assist in any way they could, and they had arrived only to find that they were too late. In the ultimate sense, it meant the battle was over…and for the greater good. But just as everyone else had been going through, Speedy couldn't help but feel completely empty. He was far too numb to appreciate the victory they had all fought for. The odds were terribly against them, and through some miracle they had won. It just didn't feel like a victory. Speedy felt that saying it out loud would do no good either.

"Let me…let me see it."

Speedy looked to Zerrich, the man still on his knees. He held his hand out, gesturing towards the ruined material in the palm of Speedy's hand.

"Let me see it," Zerrich persisted.

Speedy paused for a moment, not sure what Zerrich could gain from merely holding it. He slowly handed it to Zerrich anyway. The man on his knees clutched it for a moment, closing his eyes again. That slight urgency in Zerrich dissolved as the man took a deep but shuddering breath. There were a few moments before Zerrich began whispering. Speedy figured the words weren't English, though he couldn't hear enough sound to determine that for sure.

The piece of cloth began to smolder, eventually bursting into flame in Zerrich's palm. The fire must have burned at Zerrich's skin, but he didn't even flinch at it. The emerging ashes of the cloth began circling the flame from base to tip, eventually fluttering into the air and above the team. There was no wind to carry the particles, yet they seemed to float and spread out with some sort of current. The last of the cloth burnt to ash, the last particles floating upward before the flame could snuff itself out.

That was when the little black specks began to glow. Even in the orange sky, the little sparkles looked like a moving starfield. Speedy couldn't help but be moved even that little bit by the site. He was no expert in culture—especially alien culture—but he figured this to be some sort of Azarath ritual for the dead. Most likely, this was the proper Azarath send off to what ever they may have considered their afterlife. It brought a sense of finality to the team, and even Speedy couldn't stop a tear running under his mask and down the side of his face.

The glowing specks in the air flickered, seemingly their last moments. One flashed brighter than the others, sending a streak to one of the specks in particular. It seemed to set off a chain reaction as many more of the artificial stars did the same. There were many lines of light that flashed across the sky, the entire process lasting all of two seconds. Each speck, looking as if they had finally died out, suddenly flashed in unison. It blinded Speedy just for a moment, and he put his hands over his eyes. His face was forced to look down, and the ground at his feet seemed to flash brilliantly as well.

And that was when Raven appeared.

The light died away, revealing the girl collapsed on the ground. The edges of her cloak were tattered. Her eyes were closed, and her skin was more of a purple than its usual gray. She did not move.

"What in…" Cyborg seemed to manage, his voice flustered with surprise and emotion.

Nothing else was said. Speedy and Robin were the first to kneel at her side, reaching to roll her onto her back. Her skin was cold to Speedy's touch, and it scared him. He had no idea how he was seeing what he was seeing, no idea how it happened. Whatever it was, he was now worried that this one chance at her coming back was too late.

Robin was checking her breathing, listening to her heart. Speedy already knew what Robin would find, though the Boy Wonder had probably already known as well. The Titan leader began performing CPR, starting immediately with the chest compressions meant to get Raven's heart restarted.

"Help her, Zerrich!" Speedy heard Beast Boy say. "Can't you heal her? You gotta!"

Speedy looked to Zerrich. The man was crumpled to the ground, one hand pushing desperately to prop himself up again. Speedy rushed to Zerrich's other side, helping him up and over to Raven. He mostly pulled Zerrich over than actually helped; the man from Azarath had almost no strength of his own.

"Is there anything you can do?" Speedy asked.

"N…n-no, strength…left," Zerrich whispered. Even with those words, Zerrich still reached weakly to touch Raven's hand. Speedy half-expected something to happen anyway—some reaction.

"Move, move!" Cyborg bellowed, practically shoving Robin out of the way. He placed his right hand against Raven's heart, his left in the center of the girl's chest. Cyborg's fingers suddenly detached from his hands, a lone cable still connecting each digit to the Titan's palm.

"Never tried this before," he said, nervously. "Everyone stand back! Clear up!"

Speedy took Zerrich's hand away from Raven's, everyone else stepping away. There was the sudden sound of electricity traveling through Cyborg's arms, and a large jolt blasted into Raven. Her body convulsed from the shock, settling down a moment later. There was no other reaction.

The electric sound built up again within Cyborg, and another jolt blasted through Raven. Her body jumped off the ground once more, landing without any response. Cyborg charged himself up for a third time, even with smoke coming out of his right elbow. The charge jolted into Raven again. She landed against the ground, her head rolling lifelessly to the side. The smell of ozone rested around the team, Cyborg's heavy breathing the only sound in the air. The sparking at Cyborg's right elbow and left wrist indicated he wouldn't be able to do that trick a fourth time.

Slowly, almost unperceivable, Raven rolled her head slightly. Her eyes fluttered half-open as she looked up. Her first breath was almost rushed, as if she hadn't received oxygen in far too long. The following gasps concluded this, and more life returned to Raven's body. Uncontrollably, she began to shiver.

"Get her warm!" Robin commanded, taking off his cape and wrapping it over the girl as Cyborg stood up. Starfire quickly surrounded the girl in a very slight green glow from her eyes. They weren't out of the woods yet, but they were doing far better than they had been. The twins were excitedly jabbering on in Spanish, a mix of concern and excitement on their faces. Beast Boy went to Raven's side, checking her over to make sure she was okay. He was questioning Robin up and down about whether or not Raven would be all right. Before getting any answers, the young Titan was on his feet and barraging Cyborg with the same questions.

Zerrich reached over again for Raven's hand. Their fingers barely curled around each other's palm, lack of strength from both of them. Raven's head turned again to its side, looking over at Zerrich with tired eyes.

"Your aura," she whispered. "You set off your aura. I…I could sense it. Almost follow…follow it home. But…I could only go…so far. I…almost couldn't break free."

Zerrich nodded to the best of his ability with the side of his face plastered against the ground.

"Then, something…set me free. Something let me come back. How…"

Zerrich smirked weakly. "You left something behind."

Raven seemed puzzled. Speedy could see it on her face even through the weak expression. There would have to be some pretty good explanations later. For everyone.

"So, she's gonna be okay, right? Right, Cyborg? Please tell me she'll be okay!"

Speedy looked over at the two Titans, Beast Boy tugging at Cyborg's reassembled hand. Cyborg simply nodded.

"Yeah. Our girl's gonna be just fine."

-

**Epilogue**

**- **

Getting home wasn't the easy task, nor had anyone expected it to be. Cyborg's little trick was out of the question, his advanced systems either drained or fried. Raven was far too out of it to be of any use creating a dimensional vortex back to Earth, and Zerrich had used up every last bit of his energy in his efforts to help Raven come back. It had been quite a bit of time before the man from Azarath had the strength to reopen the vortex and bring everyone home.

It would, however, be a much longer time before Jump City was going to get past the clean-up phase necessary for rebuilding. A good fifty-five percent of the city area suffered damage, ranging from simple rubble in the street to total loss depending on location. The protective energy dome that surrounded the city had taken two days to collapse; Raven's initial estimation of a few hours had been wrong. The city had been desperate for outside help, and with the long lasting effects of the barrier came increased panic from the already frightened citizens.

Eventually, the dome collapsed. The city had managed to respond as best it could to areas that needed the most help. When outside assistance could finally race in, they found many aid and relief stations established at various locations. It allowed more concentration on increasing the relief effort than the need for organizing it, though there was still a great need to restructure and determine what was best to help the city.

The Titans themselves found little time to rest in the first week since their victory over Trigon. While the Justice League had been a great part of the outside relief effort and had implored them on many occasions to rest and collect themselves, the Titans couldn't abandon the needs of their city. Most of the work by the team—as was the case with the vast majority of the relief effort—concentrated on the removal of rubble and debris. Entire buildings would have to be brought down due to their extensive damage, but that would come at a later time.

It wasn't until two weeks after that the Titans could finally take the time to rest. The League and many other relief groups continued to work in their stead, thinking no less of the ones responsible for saving what they could of the bay area. The death toll was estimated at about 8,000. Considering the population numbered approximately 731,000 at last tally, the casualties could have been far greater. Once information about Trigon's coming had been passed along—even with word that the Titans might have delayed his arrival—a great majority of the population had taken the time to leave the city. That alone had saved many lives.

Perhaps in time, the media would attempt to look at other aspects of the terrible ordeal, asking questions about prior knowledge and why the city hadn't been forced to evacuate instead of leaving it as a choice. Some people would become angry, casting blame on things and beings other than Trigon, such as the Titans themselves. They would have their critics, possibly because of their easy access versus a monster now vanquished. It was the way of the world, and nothing would prevent people from responding in nasty, uncalled for ways. For now, the city was grateful it had survived. Regardless of what came later, the greater population would always be thankful.

Work continued throughout the city, the clean up seemingly endless. It was on request by Robin that Titans Tower be put towards the end of the list for repairs. The Titans leader stood in the lounge looking out at the open bay waters. A very few amount of window panels had been replaced on the Tower, just enough to allow the place to function. Final repairs would come much later.

"Wanted a change of view?" came that raspy, nonchalant voice. To Robin's left stood Raven, a large book under her right arm.

"The water's always been a big part of the view," Robin replied. Admittedly, looking at the city from the rooftop still wasn't easy. Over the past three weeks the Titans had gotten only somewhat used to the sight. Whole sections of Jump were sporadically leveled. Everything within a half-mile's radius of where the observatory used to be had been wiped out by the cannon's explosion. Certain parts of the city had every other building damaged or half-collapsed, while other regions were completely unscathed.

The bay waters, however, were just as calm and blue as they had always been, contrasting Jump City's overall condition. Eventually, the city would be restored to match the beauty of the bay. Perhaps looking out at the water served as a reminder of the future they were all working toward.

Raven's head lowered slightly. "You do know…I couldn't kill my father. He's far too strong. All I could do was trap him. I almost entrapped myself in the process."

As much as Robin had hoped it wouldn't be true, Raven's sudden revelation was no surprise. Three weeks had gone by, and everyone had been so busy in the repairs to Jump City that a lot of basic 'what happened' questions were totally ignored. Robin had to admit, that was mostly his own doing. He had gone straight into work mode nearly the instant they had all gotten back, and the team followed suit right behind him. With the rest they were getting, the Boy Wonder was positive that the long overdue discussions would finally start.

"If your father could have been destroyed, it would have happened long ago. I guess it still can."

"It would take a vast amount of effort. And a couple of far-fetched miracles."

"It was a miracle you came back yourself. Do you know what Zerrich did to bring you back? It was amazing!"

Raven smirked, ever so slightly. It was the most emotion she'd shown even before Trigon had showed up. "I know the spell."

"How was it that he could bring you back from that realm, anyway? I mean, if Trigon is trapped there…what's to keep Trigon from being pulled here too?"

"It's not so simple," Raven said after a deep breath. "The magic Zerrich used depended on me to be fighting my way back. That realm…it isn't very forgiving. But, it can understand that which does not belong…if only for a short time. I was trying to get out, but I couldn't find my way. If I took too long, the realm would have claimed me regardless. Zerrich's aura…it helped me find my way."

"Like…having the porch light on."

"Nice enough analogy. The rest of what he did, the actual spell, was based on that piece of my cloak. That's what allowed the realm to recognize I didn't belong. It knew to let me be for just a few moments longer. Just long enough to come back."

"So, Zerrich sensed you in the other realm?"

"Hmm?" Raven looked up. "Oh, of course not. Remember? He doesn't even have any kind of sensing or telepathic ability like that anyway."

"Then, how did Zerrich know? How was he so sure you were there?"

Raven shrugged. "He probably didn't. I could have just as easily been vaporized by the last attack against my father. But what did he have to lose?"

It was Robin's turn to smirk. Leave it to Zerrich to save Raven's life by a combination of chance and hope.

"Well," Robin sighed, "at least we have the Book of the Elders. We can make sure that no one else ever tries to…"

"Um…" Raven interrupted. "That was what I wanted to show you." She handed Robin the book. He looked it over, noting the cover first.

"This isn't the Book of the Elders," he said. "The title…"

"It _was_ the Book of the Elders," Raven stated.

Robin instinctively opened the book and flipped through its pages. Instead of the strange Azarath text that probably should have been there, the words were all English. "I'm not following."

"The book is fluid. It…it travels."

Robin looked up. "Travels?"

Raven nodded. "From one book to another. From one world to another. Or dimension. It's not truly a book or tome. It's a spell. It transforms the written text of any book or tome into the structure it desires. It can move on at any time, leaving the original scripture it had occupied completely intact."

Robin handed Raven the book back. "So no one can truly ever capture that book."

Raven shook her head. "My father knew what he was doing. The spell has moved on to another scripture, to gods know where. And someone will always be enticed by the false promises within."

"Hopefully," Robin added, "that won't be for quite some time."

The both of them simply watched at nothing in particular out the window for the next few minutes. The bay waters remained calm as the Titans watched. It was that same calm the bay had always been. A calm that would exist for a long time to come.

-

* * *

-

Raven's door slid closed behind her as she entered her room. She let go of the useless book in her hands, levitating it with her mind to her shelf. A small amount of time later there came a knock on her door. Her first reaction was to ignore it. She wanted her time alone for once, something she hadn't gotten a lot of in recent days. She closed her eyes and sensed Zerrich on the other side. Something made her decide to see what he wanted. Her mind reached out to the control panel on the wall, opening the door and letting Zerrich in.

"How'd he take the news?" he asked.

"I think he already knew," Raven answered, flatly.

Zerrich nodded. "I'm not surprised."

Raven turned around, not saying a word. She knew he had come here to bring up some other issue than her conversation with Robin, and she waited for him to start. Otherwise, she'd be kicking him right back out of her room.

"There was something I wanted to discuss with you," Zerrich finally volunteered.

"Oh? What is it?"

"You've still been pretty closed off the last few weeks. With this ordeal now behind you, I'm seeing…we're seeing little change in your demeanor."

Raven turned around. "Um, how long have you been here? Closed off is one of my defining points. You expected me to change?"

"You've already changed. You just haven't come out of it."

"Come out of what? I'm fine, with what we've all been through. Anything that might be different…I'm reacting no more unusual than anyone else would."

"You see there's something…" Zerrich put his head down slightly, searching in his mind for a way to describe his thoughts. Raven could see the mental search in his eyes as they wandered across the floor. "A thought occurred to me. When I first arrived in Azarath, after Trigon had been there, it had been terrible. I mourned. The loss of everyone I knew, my loved ones…my father. They had all died, and I would never see them again. I felt such a horrible anguish I never want to experience again."

"I'm not a child," Raven interrupted. "I know what death is. They were my people too. And, my moth…"

Raven closed her eyes a moment, pushing the emotions back as best she could. It was hard reminding herself that her people had been wiped out. She tried to concentrate on the positive; that they had died for a greater purpose. In spirit, they were able to support Raven in defeating Trigon. They had known all along what their place would be.

"Everyone else on this team, they've all lost someone," Zerrich continued, "but they've all taken the time to grieve. They've all felt that pain. Except you. You…"

"I can't afford to. That's just the way it is. I don't have a choice."

"There is a way," Zerrich stated, simply. "You do have one choice."

Raven felt like she knew where this was going. While possible, it made her very uncomfortable. "I…I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Raven, I've been able to grieve. You haven't. And you can do so without the consequences. Please, let me help you."

"I don't…I don't need…" Raven tried fighting it, but her emotions did begin to take hold of her again. The little furies within her that threatened to wreak small havocs on random objects around her. Or people. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to concentrate on the calming spell as she chanted it within her mind. After some time, she opened her eyes again. Zerrich was still there, waiting patiently for Raven to finish.

"You can't hold it in forever. I don't have to be in the room with you once we've done the spell. I…I know you prefer your time alone."

Raven couldn't say anything. She had no words to give back. Her eyes remained closed as she put her emotions back in check.

"I'm not a fool," Zerrich's voice continued. "This won't make the pain all go away. But you need to begin to cope. This is where you can start."

-

* * *

-

Somewhere between those last words and the current conditions, Raven had agreed. She sat just as she did not long ago, the two flames at her side, the plate of various powders in front of her, the traced symbol within glowing slightly, the both of them chanting in unison. She felt the rush of energy from the pit of her stomach travel up her body and through her arms. Her fingers tingled as the flow continued out of her body and into Zerrich's.

Then, everything slowed down. The tingling faded into nothingness, prompting Raven to slowly open her eyes. The glowing symbol in front of her died down as well, leaving the blend of ashes and powders to cool. She searched deep within her soul self, as best as she could without her powers. That was the first thing she noticed; it all felt and sounded very quiet within her. The demon was silent. It wasn't gone, nor was it dormant. The clawing of the beast inside more than likely continued, but it no longer had its outlet through her powers.

They both looked at each other, Raven and Zerrich. There were no words for the longest time. Raven wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next. She didn't like the idea of experiencing this moment of weakness, mostly from a pride point of view.

"I…I should go now," Zerrich broke the silence. He got up and walked towards the door.

Raven got up as well. "What are you planning to do with all my power?" she asked. Raven knew she was stalling. She didn't care.

Zerrich stopped. "I don't think it's too good an idea to leave the tower. I don't want this extra boost to fade on me in the middle of, say, moving a big piece of rubble over my head." The man from Azarath turned to look at Raven. "I figure I'd best just stay here for now. I'll probably be taking quite the nap later."

Raven barely nodded. When Zerrich turned back around, a nervous buzz filled her chest. _This wasn't a good idea._ Raven was struck by a particular reality. With her powers stripped away, she could experience any emotion without consequence. At least, until her energy built back up, which would take some time. She'd never had that free reign before, and she suddenly realized she was very scared.

"Don't go," she said, hastily as the door slid open for Zerrich to leave. He only paused in the doorway without turning around.

"I just figured…" he started, turning his head, "I thought you'd want to be alone."

"I don't think I can do this," she admitted. She would never normally blurt that kind of thing out, but her fear was overtaking her. Her instincts made her want to start meditating. "I'm…afraid."

Zerrich walked a few steps back in her direction. "All of us have to face our fears and pains. You will be all right."

Raven pinched her eyes closed. She was terrified. It had hit her that she truly wanted to avoid ever having to feel the pain she was now facing. She wanted Zerrich to be wrong. She wanted to convince herself that she could just meditate each morning and bury those emotions for the day. That, however, was part of her fear. She knew people well enough to know it was true. She couldn't bottle up her pain forever.

_How do I face this?_ It was all too much. How was she going to face the loss of her people? How did Zerrich learn to cope with it? Had he been coping at all, or was he still fighting with it? Everyone on Azarath she had ever known had been killed. Even having felt their presence when battling Trigon did little to comfort her now. She would never see them again, could never visit them back home. Her mother…

Her thoughts suddenly concentrated on her mother. Arella. The only woman in Azarath from Earth, she had been accepted by the Azarath people just as Raven had. She had memories of her mother, always as neutral as the rest of the Monks. Yet, Raven could sense the emotions from her mother—always longing, desiring to express her feelings to her daughter. Setting an example, Arella never openly did.

Raven would ask as a little girl why she let her emotions run so rampant on the surface of her mind, to which Arella replied that she did not have the training as the people of Azarath had. Growing up, Raven was instructed not to read into her mother's mind, as it would only serve as a distraction. But, she never did forget those emotions she had gathered from her mother's thoughts. She had unconsciously tucked those memories away in her mind.

She suddenly longed to express those feelings back, but it was far too late. She had run from home in the hope her destiny would never bring destruction to Azarath. Yet, even without her presence, her home had been destroyed. They were all gone. Her mother was gone. Her eyes were still squeezed shut, and she was aware of the tears that had started streaming from them. Her heart raced within her chest, the pain becoming unbearable. Her breath became ragged as she tried to inhale, coming back out in broken pieces.

A pair of hands had placed themselves on her shoulders. She collapsed forward, not entirely conscious of the fact it was an actual person in front of her anymore. Raven's arms curled up in front of her body, her hands clenching at Zerrich's vest. She buried her face in the material, the sobs getting louder. The pain within continued to flow unrelentingly. Her entire body shivered in a pain and anguish she had never experienced.

The arms at her shoulders moved to her back, Zerrich drawing her in slightly. They where comforting, an odd sensation through the terrible hurt that engulfed Raven. She gave in completely to her emotions, squeezing in tighter against Zerrich's chest as she cried. She cried for herself and for the friends whom had died. She cried for the souls of Azarath, her mother, for the people she would never see again.

Raven collapsed to her knees, Zerrich following along with her. She half curled up in his lap as the tears ran uncontrollably. There, the two Titans would stay until both had passed out; Raven from her anguish, and Zerrich from the effects of the spell.

-

* * *

-

It was some time the next morning before Raven had awakened. She could feel the stirring of energy as her powers were replenishing within. She still hadn't fully recovered from the drain, yet her demons were already clawing for domination. She had gotten up to sit cross-legged where she had now been hovering for the past two hours, meditating in her usual attempts to get her emotions under control. Her face had felt swollen just as she had woken up, the tears that had come even in her sleep having soaked into her cheeks.

Zerrich had eventually recovered from his energy withdrawal. She was only partially aware of her door sliding opened and closed, the only sign of his stirring. That had only been twenty minutes ago. He had left her in peace to finish what she needed. It was only now that her state of mind was beginning to return to its usual neutrality.

Another half hour would go by before Raven had completely finished the routine. She finally placed her legs to the floor, turning from her window and walking out of her room. Her mind was calm again, the emotions contained. She eventually arrived in the lounge, finding that Beast Boy, Robin and Cyborg were already there. The three sat in the kitchen area, quietly eating their breakfast.

Starfire wasn't with the group, nor was Zerrich. Raven opened the refrigerator, pleased to find a fresh apple on one of the shelves. Black energy snatched it from its place and floated it to her open hand. She sat with her team at the same table, eating quietly amongst them.

Cyborg was the first to break the silence a few minutes later. "Zerrich tell you he was leaving?"

Raven looked up at him. "No. This is the first I heard of it."

Cyborg nodded. "Just mentioned it this morning. I kinda got the feeling he'd made the decision right when he was telling us. Didn't know if he'd gotten around to telling you, yet."

"I don't know why he doesn't just stay with us," Beast Boy spoke up. "I mean…there isn't anything left for him on Azarath. Where's he gonna go?"

"Did he say when he was leaving?" Raven asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Robin answered.

"Did he mention why?"

Cyborg shook his head. "He just told us there were things he needed to attend to. Dunno what, though."

Raven thought for a moment before taking a bite from her apple. Zerrich had mentioned traveling to other places before arriving here on Earth. Was there something about one of these places?

"We're all gonna see him off tomorrow. It'll be in the lounge. I kinda Thought you might wanna be here for it."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said, "and I'll be making my original recipe, tofu waffle surprise!"

"Okay, we'll be having _regular_ waffles tomorrow," Cyborg turned to look at his friend. "free of surprises."

"Come on, Cyborg! They're good for you."

"The last surprise you fed me had my insides trying to eat through my outsides just to get away. No surprises, because _I'm_ the one who'll be cooking!"

"Cy's got my vote," Raven barely smirked as she bit into her apple again.

"Bah! Fine! I'll be the only one eating the good stuff tomorrow."

Beast Boy got up with his empty plate, Robin following not far behind. It left Cyborg and Raven alone as they finished their morning meals. Raven suddenly felt somewhat awkward. She really didn't know if Cyborg was entirely over what she had done. Now, the two were alone together.

"Have you been okay?" Cyborg asked her. "I mean, with everything that's happened."

Raven nodded. "I'm doing better. I…I wanted to ask you the same."

Cyborg didn't answer right away. Raven was starting to wish she hadn't asked.

"It's hard. We've all lost good friends in this. Guess I'm doing the best I can trying to cope."

Neither said anything for quite some time. Finally, Raven decided it was time to ask the question.

"Does it bother you when you talk to me? Knowing what I've done?"

Cyborg put his head down. "At first. It was kinda hard, you know? But I realized you didn't do anything wrong."

Raven shook her head. "I killed her. I killed Bumblebee. I know how you felt about her. It's my fault that…"

"No, it's not. You didn't kill her. That demon inside you—it got loose through some nasty tricks and schemes. Yeah, I know it's a part of you, but it isn't you. That ain't the Raven I know. If you had any kind of control, you would have stopped it from happening. I know you, Rae. Besides, 'Bee wouldn't want me hating my friends for something they didn't do."

Raven nodded. She still felt responsible for Bumblebee's death, even though she had absolutely no control over her dark side. But, Cyborg wasn't blaming her as she thought he would. He'd seemed to come to terms with things. Perhaps someday so would she, with everyone that had been killed.

"Anyway, we weretrying to kill _you_, since we weren't to sure we could get to the real you in time. It's no different than any other time we're doin' our job. We all know the risks."

"I know," Raven answered. "It still isn't right."

"No, it isn't. But that doesn't mean you should blame yourself. I don't."

Raven looked at Cyborg, and the hybrid Titan smirked. There was some comfort in knowing she hadn't torn up the integrity of the team when she was under Trigon's control. There really was no way to end the conversation, so Raven simply finished her apple as Cyborg finished his breakfast. Both got up from the table as the others had before, going their separate ways for most of the day.

-

* * *

-

The lounge was rather quiet the next morning as Raven entered it from the hallway. Zerrich stood in the middle behind the couch, looking out at the bay waters. He was waiting for the team to awaken, as they had requested he not leave until they could see him off. Apparently, the man from Azarath had gotten somewhat anxious and was already up. Raven had to admit even after her morning meditation she had become rather anxious as well.

"So, you're really leaving?" she asked, to which Zerrich nodded. "Where will you be going? I mean, what made you decide on this in the first place?"

Zerrich stepped towards Raven. "I've been thinking. There've been a lot of things that seemed to have happened for a reason. Our people, they knew they would die for a greater cause. And I think they knew we would find each other. That became something of great importance. We would need each other to finish the task of bringing Trigon down."

That much Raven felt was true. The people of Azarath had tried connecting with Raven as soon as Trigon had arrived on Earth. There was only one problem. Raven did not contain the blood of her people—the blood of Azar. Except, of course, in Trigon, but that was a bloodline thousands of generations removed. When her people tried to commune with her, she couldn't hear them. She couldn't feel their presence. She couldn't connect with them in any way.

Zerrich's blood was, of course, from Azarath. His problem was that he had no telepathic abilities. Communication was quite difficult in that regard as well. Raven could only assume that their finding one another and battling Trigon side by side was some kind of fate. The instant Zerrich had transferred his power to Raven, she could feel the presence of every man woman and child of Azarath.

Zerrich continued. "I would also hazard a guess that the accident with our honing spell wasn't just some fluke. We just needed to figure out its proper application."

Raven simply nodded. She had already concluded as much for some time. Somehow, the siphoning of power from Raven had left behind her demon side. When it happened in reverse, Zerrich's blood, Zerrich's essence, became a part of her. There was some kind of design involved. A design beyond them.

"Maybe…my purpose is to help bring Azarath back. I suppose it really hit me while we've been repairing Jump City. As much as your home here needs to be restored, so does ours on Azarath. I can't be the only one left. There were plenty that left home."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You're going to…try to restore Azarath?"

Zerrich shrugged. "Can't do it alone. So, I think I'll start by searching out our fellow people. This might be a call to come home for many of them."

Raven shook her head. "And you're going to lead them?"

Zerrich laughed. "I doubt they'd listen to me for long. But, I'm sure there are those that would warrant attention. People would listen to them."

"And you think you know where to find them? Did you have specific names in mind?"

"I think so. I won't truly know until I search. But, I must search. I think that's what I need to be doing right now. At least…get things going. I don't know if Azarath will ever be what it once was, but what it may become—it deserves a chance."

At about that point, Raven could sense the other Titans coming from the hall behind her. "I…I think it's the right thing to be doing," she finally said to Zerrich.

"You two sayin' your goodbyes early?" Cyborg said with a grin. "Can I take a picture?"

"If you want to risk it," Raven said, dryly.

"Yeh, thought not," Cyborg replied.

"Zerrich," Robin said, walking up to the man from Azarath. "I can't begin to tell you how helpful you've been throughout everything that's happened. You've done more than earn your place as a Titan. I wish you'd reconsider staying with us."

Zerrich nodded. "I'd be honored to join the team. I just feel that there are things that need to be done. And, I'm not sure how long they'll take."

"I understand. In any case, take this." Robin held out a communicator. Raven watched as Zerrich slowly took it from the Boy Wonder's hand, examining it as if he'd never seen one before.

"Thank you," he finally said, placing it in his vest pocket. "And, thank you for everything. You've been quite hospitable. Probably a lot more than I initially deserved."

Robin smirked. "Just remember, the next time you need our help…you might try asking."

Zerrich nodded. Then, he looked back to Raven. "I suppose it's time for me to leave."

"We'll see you again," Raven said. "You…you do plan to stop by at some point?"

"Well, it's not as if I don't know where you reside," Zerrich smiled. "I think we'll see each other again. Hopefully sooner rather than later."

"But you'll…I mean, you won't…" There was something Raven wanted to tell him. She wanted to be sure he would come back, but she didn't want to sound redundant. The future was far too unpredictable with a universe of infinite dimensions. It had only now started to dawn on Raven that she might not see Zerrich again. It was a foolish thought, and she berated herself internally for thinking it. Just the same, she suddenly had more to say. There were things she wanted to ask, mostly, but other things she just wanted to discuss. Raven found, however, that she couldn't say any of it.

"Good luck," she finally told him. It was the right thing to say in the end. That's what she told herself. He needed to hear support for his new journey, and that's what she would give him.

Zerrich nodded to her, then to the rest of the team. "And good luck to you all in restoring your city. We'll cross paths again."

Zerrich didn't say anything else after that. He walked over to the window where he had already set the candles in their proper place. He whispered a spell to light them, concentrating next on the spell to leave. It was a longer process for Zerrich than it was for Raven, but the steps were the same. The enery field surrounded Zerrich as the vortex formed over his head. His chanting grew louder as the vortex crackled, and with a flash of bright energy, he was suddenly gone. The spell died down, the candles going out shortly after.

And, it was done. Zerrich was gone. Raven unconsciously sighed out the air from her lungs, her shoulders feeling as if they had dropped to her hips. With practiced form, she kept her facial expression straight.

"Ye miss him already?"

Raven didn't turn to look in Cyborg's direction as he asked the question. "It'll be different, now. We'll get used to it."

"Fine, but…you're gonna miss him?"

Cyborg was pushing. This time she did look over at him. "Not particularly."

"Awright, we're just gonna come out with it," Cyborg said with a grin as he leaned towards Raven. "You like 'im."

"No," Raven answered, flatly.

"Wait, what?" Beast Boy belatedly piped up, looking at Raven as if she were under a different light. "Youwhatnow?"

Raven's tempter was actually starting to flare underneath her guard. "I said, no."

"Wait, how do you know she likes him?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg, completely ignoring Raven's presence. "I didn't see any clues!"

"That's because you're blind when it comes to this kinda stuff," Cyborg retorted.

"No way! You're looking at the _luuuv_ doctor!"

"Oh, gods," Raven rolled her eyes, walking away.

"No, seriously! I can see these things coming before anyone!"

"Well, obviously you missed this one! Everyone else can see it! Back me up, Rob!"

Raven watched Robin put his hands up, "Sorry, I think I'll stay out this time." _Smart man_.

"Okay, fine! Starfire? You haven't noticed?"

Starfire, sure enough, inhaled a breath with a smile that said she definitely had an opinion on the issue, and she was going to share it with anyone who would listen.

Then, the warning klaxon went off, bathing the room in red light.

"Trouble!" Robin shouted. The giant view screen Cyborg had repaired clicked on, showing only static for the first few seconds. Then, the image cleared, revealing a visual at the front of a building. It was a bank, and some character the Titans had never seen before came running out with money in his gloved hands.

"It's the Community Bank," Raven said, "They only reopened two days ago—right along the coast. It's just behind us."

"Close enough to go take care of," Cyborg added.

"The Justice League still have quite a few guys here," Beast Boy said. "I mean…they could do it. But…"

"But," Robin finished, "this _is_ our city. And some of these new criminals need to be better informed."

"My kind of answer," Cyborg grinned. "I take that to mean 'let's go kick some butt,' right?"

Robin nodded. It was time to take care of business.

"Titans…" he shouted as the team turned for the door, "…GO!"

**END**

* * *

_Author's Notes__ This story took me much longer to finish than I had anticipated, but nonetheless I'm happy it's done. To those few that enjoyed it, thank you for sticking by. I'll always appreciate it._


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